Assumptions and Excuses Will Destroy Your Life

PROVERBS 22:13
The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”

This is one of my favorite proverbs because it paints such a vivid mental image for me. I used to imagine a young man, lying in bed and refusing to get up. His father tells him he needs to get out and get a summer job. Having exhausted every possible argument for why he cannot get out of bed, the son exclaims, "There is a lion in the street!"

Today, the mental image has changed slightly. No longer is the son in bed, now he's in the basement playing video games. And he might be 30. And it might be his mother (or even wife) telling him to get out and find a job.

Sluggard-Lifestyle has become an epidemic in 2019.

DISCLAIMER: Men are not the only creatures who behave like sluggards. Women are also capable (although perhaps not as likely) of finding reasons why they shouldn't do what they know they ought to do.
The foundational truth of this proverb is that the sluggard is supposed to be DOING something. Whether it is going to work, visiting a neighbor, or meeting a friend, he has somewhere he is supposed to go and something he is supposed to do. For some reason, he doesn't want to do it.

"THERE IS A LION OUTSIDE!"

Since the sluggard is likely still inside, he doesn't actually know there is a lion in the street. He's making it up. This morning, I can think of two reasons why he would do this.

1) He assumes it's true. Perhaps he heard a rumor or perhaps he is a person who always assumes the worst. Either way, he has painted a picture in his mind and no one will convince him otherwise. He is now paralyzed with fear because he has assumed his doom is imminent. His assumption has destroyed the life he was created to live.

2) He is making excuses. He knows there is no lion in the street. He simply doesn't want to do what he needs to do. This is perhaps the final in a long line of excuses, "I'm really tired", "Nobody there likes me", "It's boring". Excuses are never helpful and always harmful. His excuses are destroying the life he was created to live.

Today is a great day to follow the advice of Robin Williams in Dead Poet's Society. SEIZE THE DAY.

Do what you were created to do. Take the path you know God has prescribed for you. Grab responsibility and live up to your potential. Fulfill the duties of the roles God has placed you in. Be proactive. Be intentional. Work hard.

Assume the best. Make no excuses.

There is no lion. Get 'r done!

Your intentions may not be as pure as you think!

PROVERBS 16:2
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.

Our dogs have a terrible habit. At least three or four times a day, they will begin barking at the neighbor's dog (actually, the neighbor's dog may be starting it). Their barking becomes so intense that they are all at the fence, clawing at it (sometimes even biting it), trying to get through to the other side.

We have a command for them to stop. We say, "Leave it!" If they stop barking and follow us inside, they get a treat. If they don't, we scoop them up (they're quite small), carry them inside, and sentence them to 15 minutes in their cages.

Every time this happens, I feel like Mylie (the smarter of the two dogs) looks up at me and her eyes say, "But master, I was protecting you!"

She believes that her motivation was pure. I know she was simply acting on her beastly instinct.

We do the same thing. We tend to assign ourselves the best motives. Even when we do something we know to be wrong, we justify it by telling ourself that our intentions are good. In conflict, we tend to judge others by their words or actions but want others to evaluate us according to our good motives.

God actually sees our heart. He weighs our spirit. He knows we are often motivated by selfishness, greed, vengeance, anger, etc. The Bible tells us that the mouth speaks (and the person acts) out of the abundance of the heart. If the output of your life is bad, that means the input was bad.

This is a good opportunity to examine your heart. Take a moment to second guess your motives. Don't immediately default to the excuse of "good intentions." Be ruthlessly honest with yourself.

Then...

Ask yourself what it would look like to always be motivated by love. Fill your mind with reasons why you love God. In every interaction, use your energy to discover reasons to love other people. Choose to modify your motivations. Choose love.

10 Leftovers From The First of Ten Commandments

EXODUS 20:1-3
And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.

1) God is a PERSONAL God. "He is the Lord YOUR God". He is not absent, passive or unconcerned. He is present, active and full of compassion.

2) God sets captives free. God's path does not enslave us, it liberates us.

3) Because God is the ONLY God who delivers, He is the ONLY God we should worship.

4) Everyone is devoted to something. The outcomes of your life are determined by the devotion of your life.

5) To be devoted to God is to offer Him the first and best of every part of your life.

6) We offer God our first and best because He gave us His first and best.

7) Too often we are to our self. Self-devotion manifests itself in the pursuit of  POSSESSIONS, PLEASURE, POPULARITY, or POWER.

8) I cannot be devoted to myself and to God.

9) My devotion can be measured by evaluating how I schedule my CALENDAR, how I utilize my CAPABILITIES, or how I spend my CASH.

10) We can change our devotion my moving our treasure. Wherever we invest our treasure is where our heart will move.

A Fool Proof Plan For Personal Protection

PROVERBS 2:11

discretion will watch over you,

understanding will guard you,

Discretion is the practice of making decisions according to a predetermined plan. I show discretion when I choose not to purchase Swiss Cake Rolls because I am following a plan to save money and lose weight.

Understanding is the practice of thinking deeply and investigating carefully before reaching conclusions. When I react without thinking, or when I believe the first thing I hear, or when I assume the worst about a person; I am demonstrating a lack of understanding.

Discretion and understanding will protect you in life. Discretion is best when your predetermined plan is the path God has laid out in His Word. Understanding is most effective when your primary consideration is whether or not something aligns with the truth of Scripture.

Don’t make snap judgments today. Don’t act quickly or without thought. Because you are living in a sinful world, your instincts are sometimes tainted by sin. Instead, choose discretion and wisdom.

You Cannot Win. So Don't Try.

PROVERBS 26:4-5Answer not a fool according to his folly,
lest you be like him yourself.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
lest he be wise in his own eyes.

This is one of my favorite proverbs. At first glance, it appears to be two contradictory statements. Both cannot be true. They are mutually exclusive.

BUT...

If you read them together and understand them as one larger proverb, you get the real meaning:

Don't argue with a fool. You cannot win.

Some people simply do not want to have a reasonable discussion. Some are completely unwilling to consider a change to their position or point of view. Some are interested only in fighting, not finding solutions.

Don't argue with them. You cannot win.

This feels like a pretty good description of political discourse in America today. It seems to be a fairly accurate snapshot of what happens on social media every day.

Here's your challenge. Don't be the fool. Don't be the person who can't engage in a productive conversation with someone who has a different perspective. Here are three simple rules to remember to help you avoid being a fool:

1) Listen intently.
2) Don't interrupt.
3) Use questions to gain clarity and understanding before you respond.

Are You A Creator or a Destroyer?

PROVERBS 18:9

A lazy person is as bad as

someone who destroys things.

1) As image bearers of God, we were made to be creators. We create with our hands, with our actions, with our words, etc.

2) Creating takes action. Lazy people don't create anything (victimhood and apathy are synonymous with laziness).

3) What you create doesn't have to be tangible or physical. You might create joy or peace for someone else. You might create hope by meeting the need of your neighbor. We all have different gifts which enable us to be creative in different ways.

4) What will you create today?

You Can't Fix Everything For Everyone. But You Can Do Something.

PROVERBS 12:25

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

Stop.

Before you do you anything else, find a piece of paper or a sticky note or a notebook or something you can write on. Now, write down the names of three people you know you will see today.

You have no idea what is going in these people's hearts. You may know some of the situations they are dealing with. You may understand some of their hurts and some of their joys. But you don't know it all. None of us do.

Something is causing anxiety in these people. You may have an idea of what it is. You may not have a clue.

None of us can know everything that is going on in the hearts of the people around us.

What we all CAN DO, is offer a good word to everyone we encounter.

If you aren't sure how to offer a good word to someone else, here are ten suggestions:

• encourage
• compliment
• motivate
• inspire
• praise
• admire
• appreciate
• commend
• congratulate
• applaud

You can't fix everything for everyone. You can brighten their day and lighten their load by offering a good word.

Go back to your list now. Take a moment and pray for each person on the list. Before you see them today, commit to offering them a good word. If you aren't sure what to say, review the list above and something will come to you.

Jesus said you are the light. Brighten the world of the people around you.

Life Is About More Than Turning A Profit

PROVERBS 10:2
Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.

I don't watch it much anymore because I don't seem to have time, but when "The Profit" (a tv show about entrepreneur Marcus Lemonis) was first released, I watched almost every episode for a couple of seasons. I was intrigued by Lemonis' approach to business, particularly the firm but compassionate manner in which he dealt with people.

He was also a very good businessman, and he was very successful in turning around family businesses that were failing.

In business, success and failure are measured by a simple standard... PROFIT. If your money is increasing, you are winning. If your money is decreasing, you are losing.

Proverbs 10:2 challenges our understanding of profit. Not all financial (or material) gain is good. Not all who appear successful are righteous. Temporary gain is not the same as an eternal reward.

Jesus had something to say about this in Mark 8. He said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"

My goal today is to pay more attention to people than to profit. I'm going to think more about righteousness than reward. I will try to give more than I get.

Will you join me?

Try this one simple trick to become a wise person!

PROVERBS 4:7
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.

Becoming a wise person is surprisingly simple. Pursue wisdom.

Wisdom can come from other people such as parents, teachers, friends, and even pastors. More importantly, wisdom comes from God's Word (particularly Proverbs).

I have this picture in my mind of a person who never pursues wisdom and then wonders why life is not going well for them.

Wisdom is not found on the couch in a bag of potato chips. It is not found in a secret level of Fortnite (does Fortnite have levels?). It is not found in the fifteenth episode of whatever Netflix show is being binged.

Solomon began chapter 4 by telling his son to "be attentive." If you don't pay attention, you won't get wise. So pay attention!

I just heard Andy Stanley say, "We get in trouble, not because we don't take advice. We get in trouble because we take OUR OWN advice." Those who don't pay attention, don't gain wisdom. Those who don't gain wisdom, get into trouble.

This is precisely why I read Proverbs every day. I want to get wisdom. I want to get insight. The journey begins by paying attention to what someone else (namely God) has said.

So try reading all of Proverbs 4 today.
Choose one verse as your "wisdom nugget" of the day.
Look for an opportunity to live out the wisdom you've gained.

Don't Cling... Go!

JOHN 20:17 - go find my brothers and tell them.

When you have good news, you love to tell people. Couples go to incredible ends to create elaborate pregnancy/gender reveal parties. Parents love to brag on their children. Major accomplishments are nearly as much fun if they are kept secret.

Jesus' resurrection was the best news ever. He didn't want anyone to keep it a secret.

When Mary saw Jesus, her first inclination was to embrace Him. That is good. Closeness with Jesus is important. But Jesus had a more important task for her. He said, "Don't cling... GO!"

We ought to embrace Jesus and seek closeness with Jesus. We do this through personal study, prayer, meditation. We get closer to Him by attending church services and small group meetings.

But Jesus has a more important task for us. He doesn't want us to cling, He wants us to GO!

Who will you tell about Jesus' resurrection today?

Take Heart!

John 16:33: "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

When I read these words this morning, I immediately thought of Joshua 1. God came to the new leader of Israel and in spite of the daunting task being faced by Joshua, God said, "Be strong and courageous." Joshua "took heart", brought down the walls of Jericho and conquered the promised land.

Then I started thinking about other examples of courage in the Bible. I remembered Gideon, who was hiding in a cave when God found him. With the power of God behind him, Gideon "took heart", tore down the idols and defeated the enemies of God with a greatly inferior army.

I remembered David, who "took heart" and took down the giant.

I thought about Daniel, who "took heart", continued to pray and became the world's greatest lion tamer.

I looked at the list of people in Hebrews 11 who all "took heart" and lived by faith.

Then I said a short prayer of thanksgiving that God has already won the victory. Now, I'm going to "take heart" and go out and live for Him in spite of this world's trouble.

Join me?