WISDOM

My mom's favorite thing to write on any card for her kids is this: 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your path straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

So this morning I was reading Proverbs 3. And it's interesting, the writer says to trust the Lord in verse 5-6 but then continues giving us insight on what that actually looks like for 30 more verses! 

Sometimes we think trusting God means doing nothing. But trust is very action oriented and intentional.

Your actions will show who you trust-- whether it's yourself, this world, or God.

Here are a few "actions" I picked up on throughout this chapter that illustrate what it might look like to trust God. 

- Focus on Love and Loyalty
- Listen for God's voice in everything you do
- Run from evil
- Honor God with everything you own
- Accept correction
- Hold tightly to wisdom and act accordingly
- Value clear thinking and common sense
- Put other's before yourself
- Don't live in fear
- Live in the present moment
- Don't walk around bitter

Trusting God also means making good choices. Last night I was at a friends wedding and it was beautiful. As people gave beautiful speeches, there was definitely one common theme throughout-- wisdom. This couple had operated with such wisdom and patience throughout their relationship making amazing choices. Their amazing choices led them to that very beautiful wedding day with so many friends and family raving in support. 

Good choices may not always be the most popular ones, but they'll always land you where you're supposed to be before wrong choices will. They'll be a blessing and a conduit for a full life, the best life that you were intended for. 

I love the last verse in Proverbs 3...

Wise living gets rewarded with honor; stupid living gets the booby prize.

Here's proverbs 3 to read for yourself. This is Eugene Peterson's message paraphrase. See what you take from it.

This week, let's live wisely.

Proverbs 3//

3 1-2 Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you;
    take to heart my commands.
They’ll help you live a long, long time,
    a long life lived full and well.

3-4 Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty.
    Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.
Earn a reputation for living well
    in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.

5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
    don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
    he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Don’t assume that you know it all.
    Run to God! Run from evil!
Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Very Tree of Life

13-18 You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
    when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
    her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
    nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
    with the other she confers recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
    her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
    Hold her tight—and be blessed!

19-20 With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;
    with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.
They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,
    and dew to descend from the night skies.

Never Walk Away

21-26 Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
    don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
    they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
You’ll travel safely,
    you’ll neither tire nor trip.
You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,
    you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
    or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
    he’ll keep you safe and sound.

27-29 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
    your hand is God’s hand for that person.
Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”
    or “Try me tomorrow”
    when the money’s right there in your pocket.
Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor
    when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

30-32 Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,
    always spoiling for a fight.
Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.
    Why be a bully?
“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.
    It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

33-35 God’s curse blights the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the home of the righteous.
He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,
    but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.
Wise living gets rewarded with honor;
    stupid living gets the booby prize.

Your body will glow with health,
    your very bones will vibrate with life!
Honor God with everything you own;
    give him the first and the best.
Your barns will burst,
    your wine vats will brim over.
But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline;
    don’t sulk under his loving correction.
It’s the child he loves that God corrects;
    a father’s delight is behind all this.

The Very Tree of Life

13-18 You’re blessed when you meet Lady Wisdom,
    when you make friends with Madame Insight.
She’s worth far more than money in the bank;
    her friendship is better than a big salary.
Her value exceeds all the trappings of wealth;
    nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.
With one hand she gives long life,
    with the other she confers recognition.
Her manner is beautiful,
    her life wonderfully complete.
She’s the very Tree of Life to those who embrace her.
    Hold her tight—and be blessed!

19-20 With Lady Wisdom, God formed Earth;
    with Madame Insight, he raised Heaven.
They knew when to signal rivers and springs to the surface,
    and dew to descend from the night skies.

Never Walk Away

21-26 Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
    don’t for a minute lose sight of them.
They’ll keep your soul alive and well,
    they’ll keep you fit and attractive.
You’ll travel safely,
    you’ll neither tire nor trip.
You’ll take afternoon naps without a worry,
    you’ll enjoy a good night’s sleep.
No need to panic over alarms or surprises,
    or predictions that doomsday’s just around the corner,
Because God will be right there with you;
    he’ll keep you safe and sound.

27-29 Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
    your hand is God’s hand for that person.
Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”
    or “Try me tomorrow”
    when the money’s right there in your pocket.
Don’t figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor
    when he’s sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

30-32 Don’t walk around with a chip on your shoulder,
    always spoiling for a fight.
Don’t try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.
    Why be a bully?
“Why not?” you say. Because God can’t stand twisted souls.
    It’s the straightforward who get his respect.

33-35 God’s curse blights the house of the wicked,
    but he blesses the home of the righteous.
He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder,
    but if you’re down on your luck, he’s right there to help.
Wise living gets rewarded with honor;
    stupid living gets the booby prize.

SIGNS

Signs are very helpful in life... in many ways. And when we fail to recognize or see signs that are trying to tell us something for our benefit, we often times experience the consequences of that in some way. 

For example. 

This week I headed to Toronto with two lovely friends to enjoy a night out of good food and baseball. First we headed out for dinner at Grand Electric, and then we proceeded to go to Junked Food Co. for their famous "Cookie Dough Cones". They happen to be on the same street just a kilometre or so a part. We still had time left on our parking pass, so I simply pulled into a parking space a little closer to our Cookie Dough Cones. We hopped out and excitedly ran in for our sugar fix. Being no more than 15 minutes, we ventured back to my car, and it was gone. 

It was one of those moments where you are in shock. Like what happened?! In the matter of 15 minutes my car totally disappears. How can that even happen?

You see, I had failed to see a sign a block away from my car, that in that particular section of the street, there was no parking before 7:00 PM. And if you did, it was an automatic tow. 

Sometimes in life, it seems like we are keeping things above water, "we have our car" and then the next minute, it has totally disappeared and we are left stranded. But all the while, there was a sign right in front of us that was communicating a message to help us avoid a problem, or in this case, a tow. 

What are the signs in your life trying to communicate something to you to help you? It's best to recognize those now, before you realize you're car has been towed. 

Ash 

Self praise is no praise

I've got to start with this. My photo has nothing to do with the rest of my post.... I just love cookie dough and want to tell you about junked food co. in Toronto where you can get a full cookie dough cone. Now we can move on :P

Growing up my family was, well you could say... close. If you know me, you're probably chuckling because my family was and is perhaps oddly close. I'm 26 and talk to my parents and brother everyday twice a day and we live in three different provinces. Haha.  

Anyhow, growing up, my dad would always say, "self praise is no praise." And when I read 2 Corinthians 3 this morning, I was reminded of just that. Here's what Paul writes:  

"Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on our behalf? Surely not! The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, you are a letter from Christ... this "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts." 

The challenge here is this; Paul says that CLEARLY WE ARE "LETTERS FROM CHRIST" ... are we?  

Is my life clearly a letter of love from Christ to all those around me? That's my thought for the day, the week, and the rest of my life.  

Let's focus more on who we are BEING rather than what we are DOING to write the letter of our lives. And hey, the good doing always follows the good being.  

Ash  

bit and bridle

Psalm 33:8-9

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." 

I read this verse this morning and thought, wow. How often in life are we the horse or mule, lagging behind in hesitation and unwillingness or jumping ahead with lack of wisdom and patience? 

When we tend to be the mule or the horse to an unhealthy degree, I think it comes back to a lack of trust.  

If we are unwilling to step out into what God is asking us to do... there is a lack of trust. We somehow don't trust that God has our back, that he will lead and provide, we somehow don't trust that God actually has our best in mind.  

When we are unwilling to stay, be still, and patient for he Lords timing and instead jump ahead.... there is a lack of trust.  Again, we'd rather trust in our best effort of "making something happen" than God's beautifully timed plan for our lives. 

The latter is often times me, in the KOLBE personality evaluation, I have a 9/10 QuickStart....  

I love what Brandon Richardson communicated this week at The Embassy. He said something to the effect of... when we try and make something happen on our own terms, that very thing will most likely end up being our biggest hurdle to what God actually wants to do.

 Its great to remind ourselves and have firm founded faith and hope in this: (as the psalmist writes...) 

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."

Today, do you need to move to action in an area of your life, or perhaps be still?  

Ash

What if it's not all about you?

When things happen to us in life, both good and bad, Scripture tells us that God actually takes EVERYTHING, all of it, and weaves it together for our good. 

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. - Romans 8:28

We know that difficult times in our lives actually help develop our character and perseverance. 

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. -- James 1:2-4

Ultimately, God does work through everything happening in our lives to draw us closer to Him, to love us, and see us become more and more the person He created us to be. However it doesn't end there.

Here's a thought... What if it's not all about us?

What if what you are going through, whether the BEST time of your life, or the WORST, is not about you, but instead is about showing the world around you God's love, faithfulness, grace, forgiveness, goodness, love, provision and the list could go on. 

Whether it's the best or worst season of our lives, what if we asked ourselves these questions:

- how can this somehow help those around me?
- how can I show God's love in a powerful way despite my circumstance?
- how might my hope and perseverance in spite of trials actually be a testament to my real relationship with God?
- how might my generosity and selflessness in this season of fruitfulness and blessing show those around me God's heart for them?

In all situations and circumstances, we are called to be salt and light. 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." -- Matthew 5:13-16

What if whatever you face or receive today, is really to point the world around you to the ULTIMATE hope... Jesus!

Ash

STRIP OFF

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. - Hebrews 12:1

It's incredible the lengths that athletes will go to ensure that when they run a race, they are running as fast as possible. They ensure that they have done absolutely everything possible to do their very best in their race. Do they HAVE to in order to be able to run the race? Well, not necessarily, but they DO because they have a DESIRE to do their best. Some runners shave their heads, armpits, and legs, every hair so event the friction their hair would cause wouldn't slow them down. Not to mention they train vigorously in preparation!

If we apply this to our lives spiritually, it's an interesting evaluation. When it comes to certain things in our lives, it may not be required of us to "strip off" in order to be loved and accepted by God...But would it benefit our lives, make our lives healthier, more fruitful and ultimately more Christlike helping us live our lives to our full potential, meaning most like Christ. 

What are some things in your life that perhaps it's time to "strip off"? Running our race as best we can, emulating Christ, is ultimately best for us, best for those around us, and most importantly will point people to Jesus. 

- Ash

HARMONY

1 Corinthians 1:10

I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in HARMONY with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 

What is harmony? 

:the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect.

:agreement or concord

Being a musician, there is really nothing worse than hearing people sing off key. Haha. (I'd actually rather everyone sing no matter what than not sing, but let's go with it...) DISCORD musically isn't appealing, it isn't pleasing to the ear, it makes you cringe. 

BUT, when you hear two people singing at the same time, but different notes, harmonizing perfectly, it's amazing. They are singing two different notes, at the same time, but are perfectly complimenting one another, supporting one another, and making the other sound even better!

The same goes in life. We can be different people, doing life together at the same time, in different ways, but perfectly harmonize with one another, complimenting one another, supporting one another, making the other "note" sound even better. 

In what ways today can you harmonize well with those around you? How can you compliment them and what they are doing? How can you support them and help them to sound better with you, than without you? 

--Ash

MOVE

I'm a morning person, but sometimes it's still hard not to snooze the alarm clock a few extra minutes, sometimes I'm just SO comfy. But, the EARLY BIRD gets the worm right? So I recently challenged myself to get up an hour before I usually do... this is out of my comfort zone, and some of those mornings I go get on a cycling bike at the gym for a spin class.... not as comfy as my bed, but has definitely proved to be a GREAT way to start my day. "Moving."

As Eugene Peterson said, we are pilgrims, but we are also disciples—always moving and always learning.

Always moving, always learning. 

Sometimes we master our daily coming and goings, we get really good at our day to day life. To the point where, it becomes our comfort zone. When we are living within a comfort zone, our focus often turns to how well we are doing, it's a space of life focused on "me".

When we find ourselves at this place in life, we're not doing the "moving" that Eugene Peterson is referencing in this passage... it's not the type of moving that stretches, challenges and grows us. The type of moving Eugene is talking about is the kind that finds us getting OUT of our comfort zones, and learning. More importantly, it's the kind of moving that requires total dependance on God for strength, guidance, wisdom and direction. It's a space of life where we can't afford to look to ourselves because we'd fail, we NEED God to do what only He can do. This is when we start living the life God intended us to live-- dependant on Him!

It's when we venture out to "move" in this kind of way that we will actually see God do what only He can do... because the dreams and endeavors at hand, are ones impossible on our own. 

Today, ask God to put a "movement" (deed, action, dream, desire, attitude) on your heart, that may be outside of your comfort zone. Trust Him, and act! You'll see amazing things happen when you move outside of your comfort zone into God's zone. 

What does stepping into "God's Zone" look like for you today? 

- A