Tag: Luke

  • Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 2

    Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 2

    “Lord, Lord”

    You are about to sit in the presence of the King. Yet with the hearing of the wisdom of the King comes responsibility.

    “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?’ – Luke 6:46

    LUKE 6:49

    “But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

    Can you sit before the King and heed His words of wisdom?


    The Way of Wisdom

    Proverbs 9:HRH Queen Elizabeth

    Wisdom has built her house,
    She has hewn out her seven pillars…

    She has also furnished her table.

    Forsake foolishness and live,
    And go in the way of understanding.

    “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
    And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
    Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
    Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
    Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
    Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

    10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.


    Account for your actions

    Do you answer the tweets of a fool? Would you correct this scoffer?

    Does the world recognize a wicked one without you answering a fool?

    Contentious words provoke angry response,

    While silence speaks softly to those who hear.

    A fool speaks loudly and carries no stick.

    The wise one withholds comment from deaf ears..

    What basis have you to judge another? Are you so infallible or have you never transgressed righteousness?

    Learn from the Lord and ask forgiveness for your errors. Fear the LORD! Then you will begin to have wisdom.


    Wisdom of the King

    Earthly kings and leaders have appointed times, yet often they fail. Even Solomon forgot wisdom in his later days. The king’s banquet may become an event of singular honor or delectable cuisine, but wise words nourish the guest of the king’s table.

    Hear just a few morsels of wisdom from King Solomon. My reflections follow, as I invite your consideration.

    Savor wisdom’s words on the pallet of your understanding.

    Feast upon wisdom’s flavor before digesting a proverb as common fast-food.

    Proverbs 10:

    6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
    But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

    I am a sinful man; therefore I will keep silence before the King.

    I recall the actions of so many wicked men and wayward women. We abhor their violence, yet the Lord will judge.


    9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
    But he who perverts his ways will become known.

    he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is a shield to those who walk in integrity – Proverbs 2:7

    Integrity – completeness, fullness, innocence, simplicity.

    Acting in the Lord’s will, considering my imminent action as simply evil or good. Choosing good before exercising evil in thought, word or misdeed.

    And perversion? We have forgotten it’s meaning in an onslaught of common evil. Perversion twists the truth of righteousness with corruption of the pure and defiance against God. Consider the lives of an evil one:

    The way of peace they do not know,
    and there is no justice in their paths;
    they have made their roads crooked;
    no one who treads on them knows peace. – Isaiah 59:8

    Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
    than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. – Proverbs 19:1


    12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    But love covers all sins.

    How we continually hear the news of the world; taunting words of hatred from the lips of arrogant men and unbound women.

    Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

    More than everything, soft words of love and the mirror of time will turn harsh words of hatred into regret.

    More wisdom from Proverbs 10:

    14 Wise people store up knowledge,

    But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.


    17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
    But he who refuses correction goes astray.

    18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
    And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

    19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
    But he who restrains his lips is wise.

    20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
    The heart of the wicked is worth little.
    21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
    But fools die for lack of wisdom.


    The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
    and humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 15:33

    Don’t think of Proverbs as only a few pithy sayings by Solomon and other ancient Kings.

    Think of Proverbs as personal advice from the King of kings; then consider your own words and actions.

    Will you be invited to the banquet of the King?


    To be continued…

  • Times of Difficulty – 3

    Times of Difficulty – 3

    Watch Yourselves

    Luke 21:

    34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”


    Watch yourselves! A warning of apocalypse.

    Be on guard,” states the King James, with the same Greek word where Jesus warns to ‘beware of false prophets.’ And in case you missed it, Jesus reiterates the warning. “Stay awake;” “keep on alert,” the King James Version warns. Matthew records Jesus using these warnings together as one.

    [ctt title=”‘Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.’ – Mark 13:33″ tweet=”Do the cares of this life obscure the Light of eternal life? Watch yourselves!” coverup=”Kj6Z5″]

    Who does Jesus warn?

    21st century readers could easily dismiss this. Jesus is just preaching to the people of His day. The Temple will be destroyed and Israel will be destroyed. And that’s the end of it.

    Not quite. Although these events of which Jesus warned did take place, as is so often the case, prophecy also applies to other times. Just because you and I live in a different place and a later time does not exclude us from the truth.

    Jesus warns of impending disaster: ” and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.” How often over time does this apply to so many.

    [ctt title=”For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.- Luke 21:35″ tweet=”Disaster prophesied by Jesus: not just for a forgotten time centuries past.” coverup=”1nRD9″]

    Not just Jerusalem. A disaster of the scope of Sodom and Gomorrah comes more to mind. (Lot was on watch. Only Lot sought to obey the Lord by fleeing sin.)

    Jesus does not speak of only ancient Judea, Samaria and Galilee which Rome would destroy later. The Lord warns, “all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.”

    Do those who ignored the warnings of Noah also come to your mind?

    Judgment!

    We don’t like it, the thought of being judged by another. Yet a sovereign God surely rules in righteousness and will judge the living and the dead! We prefer to see Jesus as our humble example of living to love God. Jesus invites us to think of God as Father. Jesus challenges us to love others.

    Yet He often warned of a judgment to come, a judgment with eternal consequence. Here is just one more example of the Almighty authority of Christ Jesus (which could be easily dismissed).


    The Son of Man

    Allow me to isolate what Jesus warns.

    “… But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength… to stand before the Son of Man.

    Judgment! Jesus clearly warns the He will be our judge. And you will not stand in your own strength, but in His.

    Jesus IS the Son of Man! Jesus also clearly states for all with ears to hear:

    “I and the Father are one.” –John 10:30


    Revelation 14:14-16

    Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.

    And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud,

    “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”

    So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.


    To be continued…

     

     

  • Times of Difficulty – 2

    Times of Difficulty – 2

    Signs of the Times

    [Introduction to this this series – part 1, in case you missed it.]

    Matthew 16:

    And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

    Pharisees, teachers, men of authority, including Sadducees who wielded great power over corporate worship want to debate with Jesus. Knowing the great signs Jesus has done for others they ask to see a miracle. (Perform for us, if you are the Son of God.) Show us a sign.


    He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’  And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’

    You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

    An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.


    Are we so different? Are we not learned men and enlightened women? What sign of the risen Christ do we show those who live ungodly lives?

    Prophesy of Jesus

    Later Jesus would warn those of the present day of the Apostles, Pharisees, Sadducees and Roman occupiers even more things of these last days.

    Luke 21:

    5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

    7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”

    Jerusalem

    8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray.

    For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’

    Do not go after them.

    9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”


    Did Rome destroy Jerusalem and the Temple? Have many gone after false prophets who have led astray?

    Jesus Foretells Wars and Persecution

    10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

    11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.

    And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

     

    12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness.


    How soon we forget our unity in terror and faith under God.

    24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

    The Coming of the Son of Man

    25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

    27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”


    To be continued…