Growing in Grace

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. -Proverbs 22:1 (NIV) Immanuel Kant once said,"It is not necessary that whilst I live I live happily; but it is necessary that so long as I live I should live honorably." Is this true, or is this some old-fashioned view of values? Many would rather have a shiny, new car than an untarnished reputation. What are some examples of treasured names? -John, the apostle, was called "the disciple whom Jesus loved." -David was called "a man after God's own heart." -Abraham was called "the friend of God." -Abraham Lincoln was called "Honest Abe." Just think of the many people through the ages who, at the very mention of their name, make you think of the good that they stood for or fought for: Mother Teresa, Florence Nightingale, Corrie ten Boom, Elisabeth Elliot, and Billy Graham. But there are so many others whose names are not famous, b

There is not wisdom, no insight,  no plan that can succeed against the Lord.  The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. -Proverbs 21:30-31 (NIV) When we read the Bible cover to cover we see that life is full of humanly impossible, insurmountable situations. Even for God's people, life is sometimes very complicated. Over and over again God's people were outnumbered in battle. They were out of food. They faced dilemmas with no answers. Then they turned to God with empty hands and expectant hearts. Over and over again we read of God giving them unusual answers and solutions. In all their circumstances (just like us) they had choices. Should they trust their natural instincts, or should they trust the Lord? Some, like King Saul, repeatedly refused to leave the final decisions in God's hands. Stubbornly they used their own carnal weapons and natural wisdom. Short term, it looked good. Long term, it was a disaster. But others, l

Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin for their hands refuse to work . -Proverbs 21:25 The lazy "refuse to work." It's not that they can't; it's simply that they won't labor. The Hebrew word for labor means "to advance, to deal with, to commit, to prepare, to practice, and to finish." When we procrastinate, we are refusing to get to something we know we should or to finish what we started. Photo Credit How do we break the habit of putting things off? Proverbs 6:6-8 says, "Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter." The ant is a picture of diligence. The word diligence means "putting care and effort into what one does." Ants are focused, always moving forward. I love when you put something in their way - they hardly stop. They just go around it an

Whoever pursues righteousness and unfailing love will find life, righteousness, and honor. -Proverbs 21:21 What motivates you? What gives you the motivation to get out of bed, get dressed, and start your day? Do Photo Credit you have a high and noble passion and purpose for living? If you were to die tomorrow or even next year, would you say, "I made the right choices"? Of all the things that we can desire and pursue in this life, there is nothing like the pursuit of God. Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all else will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33, paraphrase). Mary Barrett, a worship leader, had a bucket list. Just weeks before she passed away, her husband drove her to Nashville to record just one more worship CD. She often sang the song below. To her, the words were her anthem. Give me one pure and holy passion. Give me one magnificent obsession. Give me one glorious ambition for my life, to know and follow h

Photo Credit After waiting many years for God to fulfill His promise of descendants for Abram, we read in Genesis 16 that Sarai decided to take matters into her own hands and gave her handmaiden to Abram as a wife. As soon as Hagar conceived, the Bible says she despised Sarai. In return, Sarai treated Hagar harshly. Hagar fled into the wilderness. The angel of the Lord met her there and told her to return to Sarai. He promised to multiply her descendants through the son she would bear. Hagar was to call him Ishmael. In response, Hagar called the name of the Lord, "a God who sees." God saw what happened to Hagar. He knew all about her distress and saw her run away. He sent an angel to let her know she was cared for by God. Like Hagar, "God loves us. He sees everything that happens to us. We cannot run away and hide from Him. God also sent Hagar back home to deal with the painful situation with Sarai. God does not want us to run away from our problems. He want