Did you see the INTRODUCTION to this A to Z series? Check it out here.
LISTENING is one of those things we all try to do for our friends and loved ones, but is so often a struggle. "I HEARD you," he will say, but then she counters with "Yes, but were you LISTENING?" We are often reminded of this important distinction. LISTENING starts with hearing, but means so much more.
We do the same thing with God. Although with him, because he does not confront us face to face but rather in spirit, we go so far as to deny even the hearing part! We pretend we don't even believe he exists despite the fact that: "what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them." Romans 1:19
God speaks to us through our consciences, to start. Society may try to challenge us to prove what we say is right or wrong philosophically, but that is a mere distraction from the truth each of us can directly perceive. (Isn't any particular philosophy actually just the collected conclusion of someone else's conscience, anyway? Better to weigh and consider your own.) It IS enough to say "I know because I know that I know." Better to LISTEN to that voice now, and to follow its lead than to deny it and be forced to admit its validity in the end. Refusing to LISTEN is the sin that will lead many into HELL and leave them there with nothing to hear but their own delusions.
Paul went on in Romans 1 to explain what happens after denying God's message.
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." Romans 1:21
But what will become of LISTENING for those who choose HELL? I hate to say it, but perhaps part of being in HELL will be an eternal obligation to LISTEN! If hope is the interval between a promise and its fulfillment, then HELLISH hope is just the vain wish for any promise other than the guarantee of continuous and worsening trouble. "My ears are burning." will be more than a clever metaphor, when people are longing to LISTEN, and futilely straining to even hear the tiniest sound of fellowship or contact or interaction.
"Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance" Proverbs 1:5
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED.
Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?
Showing posts with label listening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label listening. Show all posts
Friday, April 14, 2017
Friday, May 25, 2012
The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 25th on Proverbs 25:9-12
[If you have been here before, in May, then you might want to skip down below the green for today's post.]
"Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except February which has 28
Except during leap year when it has 29"
NO I DID NOT WRITE THIS "POEM"! (Talk about free verse!)
And to make matters (far) worse, MILLERWRITES has created a Proverbs Pull-A-Part Plan that decimates that fine collection of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, by spreading commentary on each chapter out over 7 months (the good 31 day months)! Oh don't ask me to explain his system. You can try to decipher what he said about it at the top of any P31P posts from January or March if you like, or just follow along this month and figure it out.
All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied here from Biblegateway.com
REMEMBER: My ideas may be oh so mesmerizing, but you will get more benefit from simply reading the chapter itself!
So here I offer my amateur comments on verses 9-12. Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither (neither inspired, nor red).
PROVERBS 25
More Proverbs of Solomon
1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among his great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.
What you have seen with your eyes
8 do not bring[a] hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 If you take your neighbor to court,
do not betray another’s confidence,
9) Interesting; not even to pin your rotten neighbor to the wall, can you use something someone else told you in confidence as evidence! God has great ethics, methinks! The terribly much, as far as standards go, are so worth it because each of us becomes an eventual recipient of the good standards.
10 or the one who hears it may shame you
and the charge against you will stand.
10) This seems to be a charge unrelated to your 'neighborly' claim. This charge, the one that would stand, is probably worse than your complaint: the charge that you are a GOSSIP!
11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a ruling rightly given.
11) So picturesque! This image is used elsewhere, as in ....is a word fitly spoken. I suppose it's the same idea, but one is more official than personal.
12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
12) Oh that the dumb kid who just made a stupid, rash decision, would stand and listen to the stern rebuke of the good judge. No matter if the judge is his dad, or a municipal official. It's time to grow up; plus you still get to wear the earring!
13 Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
he refreshes the spirit of his master.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of gifts never given.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
too much of you, and they will hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on a wound,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain
is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.
24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
are the righteous who give way to the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?
Friday, May 4, 2012
The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 4th on Proverbs 4:10-13
[If you have been here before, in May, then you might want to skip down below the green for today's post.]
"Thirty days hath September,
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except February which has 28
Except during leap year when it has 29"
NO I DID NOT WRITE THIS "POEM"! (Talk about free verse!)
And to make matters (far) worse, MILLERWRITES has created a Proverbs Pull-A-Part Plan that decimates that fine collection of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, by spreading commentary on each chapter out over 7 months (the good 31 day months)! Oh don't ask me to explain his system. You can try to decipher what he said about it at the top of any P31P posts from January or March if you like, or just follow along this month and figure it out.
All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied here from Biblegateway.com
REMEMBER: My ideas may be oh so mesmerizing, but you will get more benefit from simply reading the chapter itself!
So here I offer my amateur comments on verses 10-13. Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither (neither inspired, nor red).
PROVERBS 4
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown. ”
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown. ”
10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
10) Remember that this is not a Biblical promise, but a Proverb. It is a 'rule of thumb' as it were. I think that God let's sinners sin, as one of His cardinal rules. We have free will and He let's us exercise it. If someone chooses to shoot me and steal my car (someone who has never SEEN my car!), he may. UNLESS (and there is a BIG unless), I am God's child and someone has been praying for my safety. In that case, if God chooses, He can use all kinds of people and things in His realm to make sure my shooter does not happen upon me while he is in such a foul mood (Granting free will does not mean working to support any particular goals of a particular free willer). Traffic issues alone offer God a million opportunities to realign rendezvous times, and without interfering with the free choice of anyone.
Of course God will exercise His free will, in deciding which prayers to answer and in which way. If it better serves His kingdom to allow some murderer to take me out, then so be it. (Yes, the Christian worldview DOES have an answer (an excuse clause?) to every question. Wouldn't you expect that from an above average worldview? If yours does not have a rational explanation for every dilemma, something is wrong with it.
Of course God will exercise His free will, in deciding which prayers to answer and in which way. If it better serves His kingdom to allow some murderer to take me out, then so be it. (Yes, the Christian worldview DOES have an answer (an excuse clause?) to every question. Wouldn't you expect that from an above average worldview? If yours does not have a rational explanation for every dilemma, something is wrong with it.
God may step in to the free choice-making of His committed followers, but that is by their allowance or cooperation; their willingness may then be used by God, sometimes even in a very small way, to rearrange what would have been a dire circumstance for another believer. God speaks to His children, personally, and they feel His spirit move them into some specific action or inaction. "Drop in at Mel's house on the way home." "Do not mention Fred's dilemma to Ted." "Pull over now." We believers can practice our own free will of course, as well. And too often we choose to disobey God (thus limiting, at least the "abundant living" , of our lives).
The proverb above, calling us to 'listen' is always relevant and important. Our lives, and perhaps the lives of others, sometimes hangs on our 'acceptance' of what our heavenly Father says.
How else might 'listening' extend our lives? We are told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, suggesting that we should respect, and take good care of them. Listeners to this advice live longer We are told of many types of people, and types of places to avoid (Ever hear of the book of Proverbs?). People who don't, often die young. But "only the good die young" you say. Do you really believe that myth?
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
11) "Thank you Lord. Help me not to stray int the ditch!"
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
12) "But what about if I just sit still and watch the world go by in HD? " Well I don't have HD yet, but I think God is suggesting that we are not to be on the sidelines. We should be 'in the game' and not worried about being hampered or stumbling.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.
13) How easy it is to get all into another one of God's great ideas....and then forget all about the last one learned. James 1:22-24 uses a great picture to teach this lesson:
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
"...guard it well, for it is your life." I think God has a serious side to Him!
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.
18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.
20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?
Sunday, January 8, 2012
The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting January 8th on Proverbs 8:1-5
January 8; Proverbs 8, Verses 1-5
Christians looking for a simple way to review the Bible regularly, have long been convenienced by the fact that the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, the same number as most of our months. Each chapter includes multiple bite-sized verses (uhm, proverbs) and can be read through simply in one sitting, one appropriately numbered chapter per day through the month. My simple mind balks at the idea of trying this pattern in any month with less than 31 days (It just does, all right?), but there are 7 months every year that are suitable for the effort.
My idea here is to reprint about 1/7 of the verses of each day's chapter throughout this year, every time a 31 day month pops up, and offer a few comments from The Barking Owl. So in January, we will get through the first few verses of every chapter and then in March, the next group, so that by the time December comes around we can finally get to the last set of verses in each chapter and complete the book's reading. If you are smarter than I am (is there any doubt?), you will read the whole chapter every day, every 31 day month, and then you will have read the whole book 7 times this year! By then you are guaranteed to be wiser than The Barking Owl at least, though no one will ever match the wisdom of Solomon![All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied from www.Biblegateway.com]
PROVERBS 8
1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
How often do we wrestle with a decision, when we are fully aware of the obvious answer? Wisdom is 'calling out' in such a case, but we are listening instead to some other more self-serving voice. One which doesn't care about our long term welfare, as wisdom does.
Wisdom must raise her voice. If the TV isn't turned up too loud, our attention is probably focused on a video game, a website or a rotten novel. Maybe we have earbuds shutting out her cries because we must be entertained by something all the time. We might do well to shut it all off for a few minutes every day, and listen. What is wisdom saying to you?
1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
How often do we wrestle with a decision, when we are fully aware of the obvious answer? Wisdom is 'calling out' in such a case, but we are listening instead to some other more self-serving voice. One which doesn't care about our long term welfare, as wisdom does.
Wisdom must raise her voice. If the TV isn't turned up too loud, our attention is probably focused on a video game, a website or a rotten novel. Maybe we have earbuds shutting out her cries because we must be entertained by something all the time. We might do well to shut it all off for a few minutes every day, and listen. What is wisdom saying to you?
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