Think quick!

How would you know if the orange is sweet?



As Mr. Lai says, "taste it."

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"Taste and see that the Lord is good.. "-Psalms 34:8

Proverbs 3

Had bible study on Proverbs 3 last Friday during summer OCF. We came across several things, some of which I thought it’d be good to share. Proverbs 3 draws a lot of symbolism from Deuteronomical era, and the first few verses of proverbs seem to be very similar to that of Deuteronomy 6.

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.-Proverbs 3:1

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. –Proverbs 3:3

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. – Deuteronomy 6:6-8

It gives me more meaning when reading proverbs 3. The author of proverbs wrote his instructions using similar imagery as that found in Deuteronomy 6; Moses had just declared to the whole of Israel the 10 commandments which were carved on stone. He then goes on to say that the commandments carved in stone were in fact to be carved on their hearts, tied on their hands and bind on their foreheads; It was more than simply being law. It was meant to be internalized- it wasn’t enough for the people just to know the law but to understand the spirit of the law.

What a timely reminder when in reading God’s word not to treat it as knowledge that informs, but as a piece of wisdom from God that transforms.

Trust in the Lord in all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. –Proverbs 3:5-6

With all your heart.

Not on your own understanding.

In all your ways.

Reading these verses in the light of Deuteronomy 6 makes it seem to carry so much more weight.

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I’ve been doing a little thinking on trusting God recently. It’s kinda hard at times. But more and more, I’m convinced that the where(s) and the what(s) you end up doing pale in comparison to being able to know God at a level where he alone is everything. The jump in itself means very little if it’s not into God’s hands.

Promise or a dare,
I would jump if I knew you’d catch me. –Jars of Clay

And here's a photo I knicked off the net by stickybraw20:

A brief introduction..

There are many possible reasons for one to blog, but here are my few:

• To keep friends and family updated on the what, who, when, why, were and hows of my life. Do keep me in prayer.
• As a means of expression; an overflow of my thoughts/feelings/emotions. I write a lot better than I talk. Perhaps this is also due to the fact that I spend more time thinking before I write than when I talk.
• To cultivate the habit of penning down my thoughts. I feel that journaling helps streamline stray thoughts and provide perspective and direction.
• To encourage my fellow participants in the race of life. We are running the race, but let’s not just run for the prize but also to help the others along the way. I would be absolutely delighted should whatever I pen down be of any help you in your time of need.

There are certain things that this blog isn’t meant to be. I include here some chosen portions of a write up on Christianity and modern social media (by Dustin Neeley) which I agree with wholeheartedly:

Social media (blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), as technology, is neutral and harmless. Social media can and should be used for the glory of God and the advancement of the gospel in every possible way. But natural-born idolaters like you and me are no more than a few clicks away from making this good thing a god thing.

The most dangerous of these tainted meals is pride. Few other creations in history have allowed us to see how "important" we and our thoughts are with such tantalizing immediacy as our blog and tweet stats. There are times we check our stats because we are more concerned with the applause of man than the affirmation of Jesus, and we forsake the true justification of who we are in the gospel for the false justification of who we are in the eyes of our followers. We do the opposite of what we set out to do in the first place; we serve ourselves instead of God and his people.

Pride creeps in through tweets and status updates. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with mentioning where we are having lunch or who we are with, we would be well served by checking our hearts before we do. Are we sharing this information to give people a helpful window into our lives as we seek to live out the gospel, or are we unwittingly (or even quite wittingly) enticing our friends toward coveting the life we are living? Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth tweets.

May every single post be motivated by my love for God and point others toward Him and not myself.