Devotional Thoughts

Proverbs 22:4    "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life." There are many thoughts concerning the word, humility. The truth is found within each of our own hearts in relation to our thoughts concerning our relationship with God. Today's verse bears repeating,  "By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life." Notice the connecting word between humility and the fear of the Lord. True humility is concretely bound with the fear (giving honor and reverence) of the Lord. If I can see myself as I stand before God, then I have a better view of my stance with others. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "There is none righteous, no, not one." (Romans 3:10) If I understand myself to be within the confines of those two verses, along with every other individual, then there is no room for haughtiness (pride). If I can understand that I have sin just as the next person,

Genesis 45:13-18    "And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land." We can certainly identify with Joseph’s desire for his father to know that he was doing well. This might stem from wanting them to know that we paid attention to the lessons of life they taught us. It might also stem from

Proverbs 22:1-2    "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.  (2)  The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all." There are two dates on a tombstone: the date of birth and the date of death. Those are both very important dates, but there is something even more important on that stone. That important matter is the dash between those two dates, for that dash represents the life of that individual.  Solomon speaks of our dash in today's verses.  Our father used to tell us, "Don't forget who you are." In other words, behave with dignity and do not bring shame on your name.  "A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches." A person can be a billionaire, but that does not matter if his life does not show honor and dignity. On the other hand, another person may have very little, but he makes a difference in the lives of others because his life is one that is upright

Genesis 45:9-12    "Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you."   Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers. He instructed them to be witnesses of what they had seen and heard. Knowing the distress of his father, he told them to hurry back to him to set his heart at ease. Notice he did not say Pharaoh had made him lord of all Egypt, but rather that God had done this.  Knowing that God was with Joseph would certainly be an encouragement to his

Proverbs 21:29-31    "A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.  (30)  There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.  (31)  The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD." There is a descriptive word that comes to mind as I think about the children of Israel traveling through the wilderness. That word is, "stiffnecked". They were stubborn people who wanted to do things their own way. I think of that as I think about verse 29, that man "hardeneth his face." In other words, that man is set and unyielding in his ways. Some might say, "What is wrong with that?"  The thing that is wrong with that part of the verse is that the man is "wicked", which means "He is wrong."  We are called upon to be set in our determination to follow the Lord. The Psalmist said, "My heart is fixed, O LOrd." In other words, I am resolved - I am determined - t

Genesis 45:1-8    "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was n

Proverbs 21:1-3    "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.  (2)  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.  (3)  To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice." Solomon states a fact in these verses that we often are prone to overlook. It's simple and straightforward: "God is in control." He will always have the final say and His determinations will always be correct. He has the ability to turn the heart of the king (leader) in any direction that He chooses. That is true concerning all of us. Our hearts are in His hands. I'm thankful for that. There are times He seems to allow us to make wrong decisions. We saw back in chapters 14 and 16, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."  Lessons are to be learned from that to bring us to the place where our ways are in agre

Genesis 44:9-17    "With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he als

Proverbs 20:27    "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly." I want to speak concerning our conscience. We talk about having a guilty conscience or a clear conscience. What do we mean when we speak of our conscience? Is it something that we have on our own that either clears or convicts us of our thoughts and actions? Is it something that we have the ability to determine on our own? "My conscience is convicting me."  Or, is verse 27 telling us exactly what our conscience consists of? "The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD."  Does God use the very life within us to connect with His Holy Spirit? Who is the giver of life? Who is the sustainer of life? Who gives and Who takes away?  God does use our very breath - that breath of life that comes from Him - as that light which goes deep inside our own being to reveal the depth of our being. The Psalmist requested of God, "Search me, O God, and know my

INTRODUCTION   The Book of Hebrews possesses a unique introduction.Unlike a majority of other books contained in Holy Writ, there is an introductory statement given by the author. There is no salutation or greeting whereby the author of the book identifies himself. This omission has caused great speculation on the part of scholars as to who the author of this fabulous book is. Some have projected that it was written by Barnabas, some say it was Luke, some promote Apollos or Clement. It seems, however, that the Apostle Paul is the most popular choice. This most likely stems from Hebrews 13:22-25. These verses sound very Pauline. Listen to these concluding comments by the author:  "And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom if he come shortly, I will see you. Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Ita

Genesis 44:1-8    "And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought agai

Proverbs 20:22-24    "Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.  (23)  Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.  (24)  Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" Excuse me while I get on a soapbox for just a few sentences. There are so many days when I see someone speaking of "karma". Do we realize where that word comes from? And what does it really mean? According to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, "The meaning of KARMA is the force generated by a person's actions held in Hinduism and Buddhism to perpetuate transmigration and in its ethical consequences."  Should any Christian use that word? We either believe Jesus is Lord or we move to Eastern Religion in our thinking and say a person's actions determine their fate. Which is it?    The Lord inspired Solomon to write, "Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on th

Genesis 43:31-34    "And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him." Joseph was deeply moved by the presence of his brothers. He was not yet ready to reveal his relationship with them, so he went into a private room to weep. Once he had control of his emotions, he washed his face. We might say he “got a grip” on himself. He then returned to the table and commanded that food be brought.  Being the governor an

Proverbs 20:18    "Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war." "Every purpose is established by counsel." We have a lot of intentions, but are they good or bad? I don't mean are they intended to be disobedient unto the Lord; rather, are my intentions aimed at accomplishing something good. Do I give thought into the process of trying to put my intentions into action? Solomon tells us that our intentions are made to be good actions when they are "established by counsel."  How often do I seek advice before I attempt to do something? Do I start on a whim and then hope that something good will come of it? It seems I have a lot of questions this morning, but doesn't good counsel come as a result of asking questions? How do I go about receiving that counsel? Where do we go? I come back to the thought of how necessary it is to practice the art of listening. I don't want to ask someone to do something for me if they aren&#

Genesis 43:26-30    "And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there." Joseph’s brothers had tarried for a while before coming back to Egypt. They were afraid of Joseph’s judgment. Israel was unwilling to send Benjamin back with them because Jospeh was already holding Simeon prisoner. He was concerned that he would lo

Proverbs 20:9-11    "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?  (10)  Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.  (11)  Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right." Solomon was inspired by God to ask some tough questions. Even as I type, I am tempted to ask him, "Why did you not always follow the things of which you wrote?" I'm tempted to ask him that, but then in my heart I know I fall very short of the righteousness of God. Misery loves company; therefore, I add "There are none that do good; no, not one." The truth of the matter is that we all start on even ground. We all are born with that sin nature which was inherited from Adam. I can't blame Adam for my sin, but it was through him that I received the sinful nature. So now I have to ask, "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?"  If I were leaning toward

Genesis 43:18-25    "And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, and said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into

Proverbs 20:4    "The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." We all remember the story of the little Red Hen. She found some wheat and asked all her friends to help her plant it. They all had one excuse or another as to why they just couldn't help. But when it came time to eat the bread, they were all available to help her eat it. She ate all the bread by herself but gave them another opportunity at the next growing season. They had learned their lesson. We know that's a fable, but let's listen to what Jesus had to say about finding excuses. He told of a certain man who made a great supper and invited his friends to come. "And they all with one consent began to make excuse." They all missed a great blessing because of their various excuses. Solomon is speaking today of a man who said it was too cold to plow. "I can't go into the field today, it's so cold. I want to stay by the wa

Genesis 43:11-16    "And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon."   Israel had finally become reconciled to the fac

Proverbs 20:1    "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." Paul was inspired to write, "... be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess." (Ephesians 5:18) (We will look at the rest of that verse shortly.) It seems to me that many people are being deceived in our day and time. I don't mean to make anyone angry, but it hurts me to see so many people who feel the need to include a can of beer, or a mixed drink, in their pictures that are posted publicly. God's Word is true, no matter what others may think about it. "Wine is a mocker.... Strong drink is raging." It truly troubles me that so many people have become numb to this truth. Even as I type these words, I know there are those who disagree with me. There is a part of me that says I need to just let this alone, but there is that tugging inside of me that says, "This truth needs to be told again." God said these words, not me. I feel they

Genesis 43:1-5    "And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you." After the brothers returned to Israel, he would not relent and allow the brothers to take Benjamin and return to Egypt. All this time, Simeon was a prisoner. Surely, Israel must have been in constant turmoil. If he did not send his youngest son, Benjamin, then Simeon would remain a prisoner.  While this inner struggle was taking place, the land continued to suffer under a great famine. There was nothing to eat there, and the cor

Proverbs 19:19-21    "A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment: for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.  (20)  Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.  (21)  There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand." As I travel through the book of Proverbs, it seems to me that Solomon (inspired by God) is saying there is a great need for self-discipline in our lives. It all begins with the "fear (giving honor) of God". There are many things in our natural state that distracts and throws us off the right path. There are many things in this world that feed those natural (carnal) tendencies in our lives. Back in chapter 4, we read, "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  (26)  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  (27)  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."

Genesis 42:27-28    "And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?"   Genesis 42:35-38    "And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is le

Proverbs 18:24    "A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." I worked with a man once who said, "If you go through life and have two or three friends, you are most blessed." I had to think about that one for a while. But I agree with him after thinking about what a true friend is. We have many acquaintances and many people with whom we have a "passing knowledge". But it's true, if we have two or three friends, we are truly blessed. I think of David and Jonathan (son of King Saul) when I think of true friendships. Jonathan stayed by David's side even when it meant making a stand against his own father. They made a covenant together that whoever lived the longest would take care of the other's family. David stayed true to that covenant when he brought Mephibosheth (Jonathan's son) to live in the palace with him. Solomon tells us that we must be a friend to others if we expe

Genesis 42:21-26    "And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence." Joseph’s brothers were in a difficult situation. They stood accused of being spies and not honest men. One of them was

Proverbs 18:12-13    "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.  (13)  He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him." There was a game show once where the contestant had to be first to fill in the blank. In their haste, people would often give an answer that had nothing to do with the question. They just wanted to be first and to be heard. I have felt for many years that "listening" has become a lost art. We allow our minds to go in so many directions, even while in a conversation with someone else. We do not hear what the other person is saying. I think there may be a few reasons for that to happen. We may be in disagreement with what the other person is saying and therefore we are putting our argument together even before hearing him to his conclusion. We may not be interested in what the other person is saying, so we allow our minds to wander to a far away land. Or, we may be in the middle of

Genesis 42:16-20    "Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so."  Joseph had not yet revealed himself to his brothers. Instead, he set them a task by which they would be proved (examined). He told them to choose one brother to go and bring the youngest brother to him. In the meantime, the remaining nine brothers would be kept in prison.  For three days, the brothers remained in prison together, but on the third day Joseph relented to a degree. Perhaps he had

Proverbs 18:10    "The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." The chapter began with words of wisdom. Verse one tells us that when we are seeking an answer, we should separate ourselves from the influence of the world.  Once we have found the answer that complies with God's Word, we should not be willing to change our minds.  Solomon has much to say about foolish actions and foolish words. Verse 2 states, "A fool hath no delight in understanding." As I read that, I believe he is saying, "Don't try to change my mind when I have made a foolish decision. Don't try to confuse me with facts."  A foolish person enters into a fight that does not belong to him. To this point in chapter 18, Solomon has been talking about the virtue of knowing when to talk and when to listen, or when to refrain from talking. Instead of entering contention, it is always best if we think before we speak. It can deliver us from many

Genesis 42:9-15    "And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither." Several years before these events, Joseph had two dreams. The interpretation of the dreams was the same. Joseph’s family would bow before him in obeisance. This dream prompted hate and envy in the hearts of  Joseph’s brothers, and ev

Proverbs 17:20    "He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief." Proverbs 17:22    "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." These two verses describe the hearts of individuals. The word, heart, in the Bible does not always mean the organ in the body that pumps blood. In fact, more times than not, the word means the will and determination of an individual..  Sometimes, we speak of someone who "puts his whole heart and soul" into whatever is being done.  He puts his mind and determination - his determined will - to compete or complete the task.  So, these verses describe different types of will of individuals. "A froward heart" describes someone who is willfully disobedient. The example was given of a dog who sits when you tell it to come and runs away when you tell it to sit. That's a pretty good example of someone who has a froward heart. Sol

Proverbs 17:16    "Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?" I believe it was President George W. Bush who said, "I have a library full of books and I've even read one or two of them."  I, personally, have paid gym memberships on more than one occasion, but that didn't help me unless I actually went to the gym and exercised.  Solomon is saying that we can spend all kinds of money on equipment, instructions, lessons, memberships, or anything else that we feel will help us, but there is no advantage to all that if we do not apply them. Why would I spend money, time, and effort on something if my heart is not set upon improvement.  I can read my Bible every single day, but there is no improvement for me if I do not apply my heart to using what I read. I remember one of the passages that we used when we were going through the Psalms that said, "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed..." (Psalm

Genesis 42:5-8    "And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him."   There was a great famine throughout all the land of Canaan. Many people would come to buy corn besides the sons of Israel. They all had to come to Joseph for corn. No one else had the authority to dispense the grain that was stored up in Egypt.  While many came to buy, only the sons of Israel had a special relationship with Joseph. His brothers came and bowed down before him just like his dream predicted t

Proverbs 17:3    "The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts." Silver and gold in its natural state have impurities that must be refined. We have read the story about the woman asking the refiner why he kept skimming over the top of the silver. His answer is that he heats the silver and then skims as the impurities rise to the top. He continues doing that until he can see his own reflection in the silver. Both silver and gold need to be heated in order for the impurities to be separated.  Neither the silver nor the gold will refine itself. There must be an outside heat applied in order for that to be accomplished. In our natural state, we have impurities that must be refined. We read in Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things..." We cannot refine impurities from our own hearts. I question whether we ultimately even have a desire to refine ALL impurities within us. Just as gold and silver, we need an outsi

Genesis 42:1-4    "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him." Jacob saw (perceived) that there was corn in Egypt. We understand what it is like to be at our wit’s end over some tribulation, and suddenly there is an answer. Understanding that there was an answer prompted action on Jacob’s part. This understanding also motivated him to stir up his sons. After a season of despair, we may find ourselves sitting on our hands. Things look so hopeless to us that we stop looking for answers. We may have to be roused from our apathy. One thing is certain, our relief will never come from looking on

Proverbs 16:21-24    "The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.  (22)  Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.  (23)  The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.  (24)  Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." We all have seen the Church Sign that says something like this, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."  There is a right way and a wrong way to show people what we know. The tone of voice means a great deal when trying to teach. It requires wisdom of heart in order to be able to better communicate the truth that is taught. "Sweetness of lips increases learning." It is a gift from God to be able to express yourself in a manner that people are willing to listen and receive your words. But it requires practice and discipline on the part