6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
9 They are all plain to him who understands,
And right to those who find knowledge.
Ah, wisdom, such a rare jewel among riches, a hidden treasure in the palaces of kings.
Does a son of man in this 21st century even consider her value before proclaiming foolishness?
O, that a humble King could be found, a son of man with whom wisdom occupies a seat of honor at his banquet.
15 By me kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All the judges of the earth.
17 I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me.
Wisdom. A wise ruler surveys the land, chooses the high ground and builds upon a foundation of the Lord’s righteousness. Though cunning may sweep an evil one into a palace on shifting sand, no monument outlasts the wisdom of the Lord.
22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
Before His works of old.
23 I have been established from everlasting,
From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
Or the primal dust of the world.
27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He established the clouds above,
When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
So that the waters would not transgress His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
And I was daily His delight,
Rejoicing always before Him,
31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
And my delight was with the sons of men.
John 1:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
Proverbs 8:
33 Hear instruction and be wise,
And do not disdain it…
35 For whoever finds me finds life,
And obtains favor from the Lord;
36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
All those who hate me love death.”
Do you seek the house of wisdom and will you hear her voice?
What word of wisdom would you with ears to hear obey?
Roger Harned, born in Ohio in the USA. I grew up in a small village listening to many stories of family and others every day. I grew up listening to good preaching as well.
I’m a storyteller, some may say an author. I read and write out of my love for understanding the hearts of others, more specifically the Lord. My writing career had been a private pastime which included lyrics, poems and scribbled ramblings on the youthful musings or love.
Did I mention my first love was music? As a teacher listening to music entering the hearts of others, I arranged what I hoped would be heard. Yet mostly, it was not. A conductor dreams of becoming a maestro and leader of the genius of others. A woman once called me ‘maestro’ after hearing me conduct the Cortland Community Band in a 30th anniversary concert. One fan, for whom I am thankful. Even so I did compose many songs which never had an audience. Great music, silent for all time.
Now I orchestrate words for others lead by the Creator of all readers. I pray that the Lord brings hearers of the word to my exposition of scripture.
We listen to a lyrical love of a Savior who loves us sacrificially. Once born again in the Spirit of the Living God, my writing flowed from the Word, Christ Jesus.
Since that time twenty some years ago, the Bible speaks volumes to a silenced soul with prophetic conviction I sometimes tremble to share.
The written of the LORD humbles my flesh and refines my soul.
A Perfect Author draws new readers to His Love
Any preacher could tell you (in private) that expository preaching is nothing less than revealing an unfolding story of a Perfect Author. No man in the pulpit or arena is up to it. The Author of Scripture IS the LORD, who reveals to mortals by the Spirit what must be written and proclaimed.
Only One Son of Man, God Incarnate, taught perfect Law and unerring prophesy to the elect and adopted of the LORD.
Readers here will not be particularly interested in what I have to say, but what the Lord has to say. I try not to say too much, as is the reaction of Prophets before Almighty God. Isaiah 6:5
Links provided here from my personal research direct the reader to scripture or trusted scriptural authority from more studied teachers of the faith. Again, any faithful writer about God will direct you to the Lord’s story and not our own imperfect application. I pray that the Lord draws you to explore further the great richness of scripture behind these links.
Let the Spirit speak to the depths of your soul from scripture.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
The Lord led me to this place because a publisher convinced me that authors need followers. To that end I also promote my posts on other social media such as FaceBook, Pinterest and Twitter. Therefore your follows are most appreciated.
In addition to excerpts from my book and writings, may posts explore scripture in brief posts directed to our 21st c. attention spans. Therefore many posts from my series will conclude with the well-known cliff-hanger: “To be continued…”
I’ve never relished the challenge of painting a fancy resume. Let the Lord and others witness my contributions in exposition, prophesy and witness. And may Christ Jesus speak through me and my writing always glorify the Lord.
I love scripture, first and each time I study a passage of the Bible the Lord reveals more of His story. I credit many favorite authors and some dedicated instructors of writing and theology for my love of words and writing skills. Anything you may glean from the more than five hundred posts on talkofJesus.com is a gift from the Lord. Yet many more-gifted authors before me greatly influence my appetite for context and application.
I rely on the Lord and the Holy Spirit for direction of my ‘talk’ of Christ Jesus in this place. I pray you will share the Lord, that by your social witness talkofJesus.com will impact the heart of another in some way.
Roger’s Personal Post Script
P.S. On a personal note, I was married for more than twenty-two years to a beautiful soul who was raised Catholic. She suffered cancer and died in her fiftieth year. As a result, our only daughter and I grew into a deeper faith in Christ.
I was raised in the Methodist church and have been active in lay ministry and teaching in several denominations. The Holy Spirit brought me to my knees before the cross, a story told also on my searchable website.
I’m a sinner, redeemed in Christ, an unwelcome ambassador in this decaying world. Therefore I live here as one longing for God’s love in an eternal world of light and joy. Here I have also suffered divorce, survived cancer and found a place and purpose in my work and in the heart of my wife.
The goal of Christian Social Witness is to SHARE the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And as for my book and my work, I leave you only withtoday’s hope for tomorrow’s joy. Please remember me in your prayers and pray that the Lord will continue that good work of this 21st c. Christian.
I pray, if it is the Lord’s will, your eternal soul and mine, through the love and grace of Christ Jesus are:
Has such a thing happened in your days,
or in the days of your fathers?
3 Tell your children of it,
and let your children tell their children,
and their children to another generation.
While disasters loom and chaos rules, talking heads debate over who said what about the rein of evil isolated in time or place.
I’m outraged!
(But it's not what you think.)
One death causes lingering debate, then a couple dozen again across the sea.
India – 2 million child deaths/year
Yet what of a crisis in a hospital in India where68 children diedbecause of a financial dispute over who would pay for oxygen?
What of 250 dead, lost to floods in Nepal, India and Bangladesh?
Would a press so entertained over a single firing dare mention 28 deaths from a national election controversy in a poor country like Kenya?
These acts of violence by evil men of many races and differing religion are not news. Extreme political positions and taunting of opposing opinion are nothing new under the sun.
China commits ‘staggering’ 23 million abortions per year, according to US State Dept.
Could self-defining generations of sexually active ‘single’ women ever be chastised for their ‘right’ to end the lives of more than 25 million babies so far this year?!
[ctt title=”Could the two most populous countries in the world ever be held accountable for all the babies and young children who have died? ” tweet=”https://ctt.ec/j1nfg+” coverup=”j1nfg”]
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
The Lord intervenes
You may not have read from scripture of the great power of the Lord, though you witness the magnificence of His Almighty hand every day. Recall (or read for the first time) how a prayer reached the hearing of the Lord and the Lord saved Israel.
5 When the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah, 6 Isaiah said to them, “Say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me…
15 And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said:
[ctt title=”“O Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth.” tweet=”“Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! 2Kings19:” coverup=”iFGf9″]
16 Incline your ear, O Lord, and hear; open your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to mock the living God. 17 Truly, O Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands 18 and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. 19 So now, O Lord our God, save us, please, from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, O Lord, are God alone.”
35 And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians.
And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. 36 Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh.
Judgment of the Lord
Not so remarkable that the Lord of all the heavens and earth, the Lord who makes the sun and moon and stars to move; not so awesome that 185,000 men or all the first born of Egypt should unexpectedly be struck down.
Have you heard of the Lord’s covenant to never destroy all mankind by flood? Do you believe that? You who cannot gaze upon the brilliance of the sun the Lord has placed in the heavens, uncover your ears to hear his warnings to repent!
His patience withholds fire and brimstone from the destruction of evil, yet their judgment will come. In the Person of Christ Jesus the Lord has come to man and He will return.
Cover your eyes and open your heart. Look only to Jesus and no false man, dead or in power, mortals who cannot save your eternal soul.
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the Lord is coming; it is near,
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Return to the Lord
12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13 and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.
The Lord Will Pour Out His Spirit
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.31
The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
32 [ctt title=”And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. ” tweet=”Christ Jesus is Lord! A new heavens and a new earth await the Lord’s return.” coverup=”W2wAz”]
To be continued…
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The Lord led me to this place because a publisher convinced me that authors need followers. To that end I also promote my posts on other social media such as 
