RUSSELL SANDERS

4-17-2023

NUGGETS OF WISDOM FROM PROVERBS 13

The wisdom of young King Solomon is seen throughout the book of Proverbs and is credited mostly to him. Let us look at a few selected nuggets from Proverbs 13.

1.  Verse 5: “A righteous man hateth lying…” One of the ten commandments (Exodus 20:16 and Deut. 5:20) says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness” which is lying. Rev. 21:8 says, “…all liars shall have their part in the lake of fire…which is the second death.”

God will forgive the occasional lie if we truly repent and not continue to do it. People given to frequent lying will be judged by God who hates dishonesty of any kind.

2. Verse 12: “Hope deferred maketh the heart sick.” When you put “all your eggs into one worldly basket” of hope or expectation which never materializes, it can wreck your dreams or ambitions if you let it. Your hope and dreams should be anchored in the Lord.

3. Verse 22: “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.” This is a forgotten or a sorely neglected verse. Upon death, a man’s goods are usually given to his children and his grandchildren get little or nothing. This verse is instruction to provide for his posterity. His adult children have made their way in life already. The bulk of his wealth (in his will) is to go to grandchildren and great grandchildren to help establish their way in life as his seed.

4. Verse 24: “He that spareth the rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth (reproof, correction, discipline, rebuke) him betimes (early on).” Betimes is Strong’s 7836 which means to be early in the task (no delay or putting it off). From this verse comes the common saying, “spare the rod and spoil the child.”

The word rod does not mean beating them mercilessly with something hard. It can refer to a stick which we call a switch that comes from a tree branch (or a belt) used for punishment in wrongdoing. Chastening refers primarily to correction through discipline, rebuke, and correction.

Any parent who loves their child will use such corrections. Spanking is not abuse unless it is done without mercy out of sheer anger. Discipline shows the child that you love them enough to correct them in a manner that they will not soon forget.

HELEN SANDERS

4-17-2023

PROOF OF YOUR CITIZENSHIP

In the United States the program set up for retirees is called “Social Security.” You can get it as early as 62. You prove that you are that age generally by your birth certificate. 

Years ago, when my mother was applying for Social Security, she learned that she needed her birth certificate. The trouble is, she did not have one.  They told her that if there was any a baptismal certificate proving her birth that it would be acceptable. Fortunately, she was baptized as an infant and there was a document. The problem was it was written in German because she was of German descent. She took it to an old preacher that could read German, and it was translated. Because she had proof of her birth, she was able to receive Social Security.

There is another citizenship that requires proof also. It is our citizenship of the household of God. In Ephesians 2:19 Paul writes to the church at Ephesus these words, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”

In the Old Testament we see that circumcision of the flesh identifies you with being Jewish, and of the household of Jehovah. There is no physical circumcision for Christians. The circumcision is of the heart, or spirit. The engrafted word of God is a seed that penetrates our spirit and takes root. It then grows as it feeds on the word of God. The proof of that spiritual circumcision is the fruit in a Christian’s life. 

1 John 4:7 says, “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” The most important fruit is love. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Love of God and love of others is your proof of citizenship in the family of God.

 Know God? You know love. No God? You do not know love.