2019 Feb 04 Proverbs 4, Psalms, Matthew 4
2019 Feb 04 Proverbs 4, Psalms, Matthew 4
Hello, wishing you a fine day, with delight in considering spiritual insight! Let's begin in Proverbs 4, verses 20-23:
"20 My son, pay attention to my words; Listen carefully to my sayings. 21 Do not lose sight of them; Keep them deep within your heart, 22 For they are life to those who find them And health to their whole body. 23 Above all the things that you guard, safeguard your heart, For out of it are the sources of life."
Prove 4:20-22 God and parents can say a lot, but if we aren't listening well, how will we benefit? We are to "pay" attention. When we pay money, for instance, we're giving up something. To "pay" attention, we have to give up concentrating on other things to focus on the one speaking, or the words of God we're reading or hearing. If you don't really pay genuine money for that steak dinner, someone may come looking for you. Let's not pretend to "pay attention"--let's really give up other things to genuinely concentrate on what's more important, to "listen carefully"! Jesus said at Luke 8:18: "Pay attention to how you listen, for whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he imagines he has will be taken away from him." To truly comprehend what we're hearing, we need to cultivate genuine understanding and discernment, to put things in proper place in our minds and hearts, and judge between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, and so on. Otherwise, what we hear may be going "in one ear and out the other"! Of what value is this? Once we have these things in our heart, we should keep them there, treasuring the spiritual insight and direction that God and parents may give, as this can lead us to eternal life and good health both spiritually and perhaps with time, physically. (Job 33:25). Such things are actually worth paying "more than the usual attention"! (Hebre 2:1).
Prove 4:23 One of the values of God's word is it helps us gain a proper view of priorities, which gives us "soundness of mind." What do you seek to protect in life? What is so important to you that you would guard it with everything you have? God tells us here that it is our heart that we should safeguard "above all the things that you guard." This would certainly include our relationship with God, whom we are to love with our "whole heart." (Matth 22:37). Our figurative heart is primarily our entire spiritual being, our qualities, values, and viewpoints, as we see things from God's perspective. Especially our integrity to God and His ways should be preserved. The things of the spirit are related to our mental faculties. The two, heart and mind, are at times separated to clarify that one could have knowledge without affecting his heart and real behavior, thus setting him up for an unfavorable course of deception, needing serious help from God to correct. Therefore, we should ponder what we're learning from others, from God or parents, to truly see how to live according to what we're learning. Then the words of Proverbs 27:11 may ring true in our case, where God says "Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, So that I can make a reply to him who taunts me." Satan has been the primary liar, deceiver and taunter of God, but all who truly appreciate God's way, the way of the truth, and seek to live by it, oppose his evil and give Jehovah evidence that His way promotes genuine happiness among His human creation.
Psalm 93 (Book 4, 4th psalm) shows Jehovah didn't spend millions of years creating Earth for Him merely to give up entire control to humans! Verse 1,2 says "Jehovah has become King! With grandeur he is clothed; Jehovah is clothed with strength; He wears it like a belt. The earth is firmly established; It cannot be moved. Your throne was firmly established long ago;..." At Psalm 83:18 Jehovah is called "the Most High over all the earth." And Abraham once asked God: "Will the Judge of all the earth not do what is right?" Satan has claimed that man would be happier without God's rulership, and so God has allowed, for a time, man to experiment with various forms of rulership. God still has watched over mankind, and has paved the way for a government by Him, with a ruler of His choosing, that will truly prove to bring eternal blessings to humanity. It is not science, but God's Kingdom, which Jesus declared, that is the true solution to our problems. May we wait for Jehovah to bring about His loving purpose in His due time, and respect His word and ways, and His right to rule mankind, while we do so.
Matth 4:13-17 shows Jesus began his ministry with a move to fulfill prophecy: "Further, after leaving Nazʹa·reth, he came and took up residence in Ca·perʹna·um beside the sea in the districts of Zebʹu·lun and Naphʹta·li, 14 so as to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, who said: 15 “O land of Zebʹu·lun and land of Naphʹta·li, along the road of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galʹi·lee of the nations! 16 The people sitting in darkness saw a great light, and as for those sitting in a region of deathly shadow, light rose on them.” 17 From that time on, Jesus began preaching and saying: “Repent, for the Kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” Called "Galilee of the nations," despite being within the borders of Israel, reveals that this land contained people originating from multiple lands, yet many there in Jesus' time respected God's law and responded to Jesus' teaching. Evidently, the people there valued reputation more than money, and were not generally sticklers for the traditions of the Jewish religious leaders, who for instance required washing up to the elbows before a meal. Jesus did not practice this, nor did his apostles, many of whom came from Galilee. (Mark 7:1,5) This land was also said to be "on the other side of the Jordan," and that they "saw a great light." This may well speak prophetically regarding the fulfillment of God's revealed purpose regarding His Kingdom. Clearly, Jesus main message involved "the Kingdom of the heavens," while he encouraged people to "repent" of past sins, and turn to God's way for true peace and happiness!
Find Life and See
Between Winchester, Virginia, and hopefully, Washington D.C., having confidence that our thankful trust in God will not fail to inspire us to the peace He has purposed via His Kingdom!
