Inside Out Living

This morning I was reading Proverbs 28 and I was struck with the number of verses that had a reference to a national leader or ruler. I could help but think of the recent inauguration of President Barak Obama. Now I know that it may sound presumptuous for me to offer the president advice, but the advice is not really mine, it is God's. There are six proverbial truths in this chapter (probably more but six I will mention) that would help any leader succeed and be a blessing to those he leaders.

1) Avoid Immorality (28:2a) - Many presidents (and other leaders for that matter) who have gone before Obama could tell him the headaches of getting involved in immorality. Loss of respect and loss of effectiveness to influence other leaders come with this problem as well.

2) Exercise wisdom (28:2b) - I know this one really goes without saying anything except duh! But how many times have we seen foolish decisions from leaders because they are trying to appease someone else instead of focusing on the right thing to do.

3) Pursue godliness (28:12) - I don't know if Barack Obama is a Christian (one who has placed faith in Jesus for salvation). Whatever label he uses to identify himself with does not dictate the spiritual reality. Only God knows the heart of a man. However to pursue godliness from this point forward will drastically change his life for the better (as it would any individual).

4) Practice fairness & justice (28:15, 28a) - Yes this is something that God cares about, especially from leaders of nations. It is something that everyone should care about too. Remember God's love extends to everyone so we should care about what happens to everyone.

5) Honor other people (28:16a) - Whether you like them or not, you need to honor and give credit to other people whenever they deserve it. Show appreciation and gratitude of those you are leading. There is nothing more disheartening to have a leader that doesn't recognize your hard work and effective results.

6) Maintain integrity (28:16b) - This is different from the first point. It may be the most difficult item on this list as a politician and leader. That is not to excuse it away or minimize its importance. A high level of integrity is intregal to a leaders ability to lead and influence other people. Just as the mayor of Portland, OR.

"Don't praise yourself; let others do it!" - Proverbs 27:2 NLT

"Fire test the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised." - Proverbs 27:21 NLT

This morning as I read Proverbs 27 I was struck by these two verses on opposite ends of the chapter. It got me thinking about how we are to rightly handle praise when it is offered. The first verse really sets the background for this discussion. I think we all know people or at least have heard people who do not practice this verse. They praise themselves up and down until the people around them are sick of it. I was watching a couple of reality TV shows with my wife last night that had some of those type of people on it. It just makes me sick when I hear them talk. If you or something that you have done is truly praiseworthy then other people will take note of that and will give you the praise that you deserve. However if you are praising yourself already, it doesn't matter who great you are or what you have done, other people will not heap praise on you in addition to what you have already said. This is why you should leave room for other people to do the praising.

So this leads itself to the second verse regarding praising. How is it that a person is tested by being praised. I think the testing is how we respond to the praise. Your response to other people's praise is a direct reflection of your humility, pride, self-confidence, and your understanding of your position in Christ.

True humility is evident when you are being praised. Humility responds to praise with honesty, integrity, and gratitude. A humble response is appreciative of the praise but does not gloat in it. A humble response also gives credit to others when it is appropriate. This is where the integrity comes in. If you used someone's idea or someone else helped you get the project done that you are getting praised for you had better give them some credit. The honest part of a humble response is recognizing that you did do a good job and it is appropriate for them to praise you. If the praise is getting out of hand or they are praising you for something you did not do then that is different. But don't show false humility by rejecting appropriate praise and discouraging the person who is trying to encourage you.

Pride and arrogance can become evident through the testing of praise. This problem sometimes can become such an issue some people will error on the side of caution and not praise others for fear that they will become arrogant. How can you avoid becoming proud because of the praise of others. Much of what was said before will come into play here. Giving others credit when credit is do is a big one, especially credit to God. Remembering that for everytime you did something right there are probably three other times that you actually blew it and had to ask for forgiveness and lean on grace. Basically I am talking about perspective. We have to keep our successes and failures in perspective.

Your self-confidence is evident in how you handle praise. If you are uncomfortable with the praise then you are probably lacking in some confidence. Know that you can accomplish great and significant things and anticipate that people can and will praise you at some point. To bolster your confidence remember these times because if you blow the next time you can be guarnateed that you will wish that the person would be praising you.

Your understanding of your place in Christ is also revealed when you are praised. Paul declared that he can do all things through Christ and that apart from Him he was nothing. Not just that, but also that Paul had died and it was in reality that Christ was living through him. This is so key to passing the test of praise. Remember that when you do something significant for the Kingdom of God the praise you are receiving is actually praise and thanksgiving to God. The success and significance of what you have done is only present because God chose to work through you and the praise that they are giving is in reality praise to God for using you.

Just some thoughts this morning on handling praise. I hope you will be able to navigate the testing of praise.

My seven year old son is beginning to understand the larger world around him. The other night he asked if God was the president of the World? This was a very curious question and not one that was easily explained to someone with a second grade education.

He knows and firmly believes that God is in charge of the world and created everything we see. Every time he prays he thanks God for the whole world and for anything else that comes to mind. He has been learning in school about the inauguration of President Obama and about the role of the President of the United States. So to him it makes perfect sense that God would be President of the world because he knows that the highest position in our country is president. However as I tried to explain to him God is far greater than merely the president of the world. First I told him that God was more like a king than a president because nobody had to vote for Him for Him to be in charge. I think he understood, but for my son as for many Americans it is difficult to undertand what it is like to live under a king. However even that description of God falls short because kings can come and go and can be desposed of their power.

I got to thinking about this conversation when I read Proverbs 21:1 this morning. "The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he turns it wherever he pleases." (NLT) This proverbial truth helps us to keep in perspective that God is the one who is in sovereign control of the world regardless of who the leaders of the various nations are. This is not a debatable issue and whether you agree with it or not, it is still true.

This truth isn't always easy to work out in to the practicality of every day life because some national leaders are corrupt and oppress their people taking advantage of their power for their own personal gain. I think what will help us to reconcile that reality with the greater reality of God's sovereignty is to keep in mind that neither God's sovereignty nor his exhaustive foreknowledge of man's actions ever negate the responsibility of humans as free agents. So while God can and does direct the course of human events, He will always do this in accordance to the free decisions of humans.

This is why today is no different for me than last Thursday when Bush was still President. I struggle with understanding why so many of my fellow evangelicals get bent out of shape that we have a democratic president now. I think they lost sight of the fact that God is still the one in control regardless of who we vote in and acknowledge as our nation's leader.

Just some of my thoughts on the reaction to Obama's Inauguration. Love to hear your comments.

"Wine produces mockers; liquor leads to brawls. Whoever is led astray by drink cannot be wise." - Proverbs 20:1

As I was reading Proverbs 20:1 this morning I got to thinking about the reasons why I don't include drinking wine (or any alcohol for that matter) with ministry or my personal life. The reasons are numerous why I choose not to drink, but here are the three main reasons that influence my thinking:

1) When I was younger my Dad shared with me a story about a time that he found his twin brother passed out in his bed, lying in his own vomit. My Dad told me how that sight influenced his own decisions about drinking and it greatly influenced my decisions as well. The idea of doing something that could lead to lying in my own vomit was repulsive to me.

2) I don't know if any of you have noticed but alcohol can be quite expensive. For me it would be exercising poor stewardship to ask my family to sacrifice so I can buy my alcohol.

3) Personally, I feel that underage drinking is a serious issue in America. I feel a need to model restraint on drinking alcohol to not only my own children, but also to the teens and children that I minister to.

Now, please notice that I am not saying that consuming alcohol is sinful, for scripture never says that. I am not attempting to be legalistic here, I am only sharing my personal convictions. Yes, I have tasted a few different alcoholic drinks in my time. Never have been drunk or "buzzed" though, which scriputre is clear that it is sinful to be controlled (i.e. impaired) by a foreign substance.

So for what it is worth, when I read Probers 20:1 it makes perfect sense to me and I ask myself what godly benefit ever comes from drinking alcohol.

"Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions." - Proverbs 18:2

“The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” – Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)

Have you ever found yourself asking for advice and yet you have already concluded in your mind what you think should be done? This is precisely the situation that the leaders of Israel were in. When Jeremiah gave the answer from the Lord, they concluded that Jeremiah must be lying since it didn’t match what they thought the Lord would say.

Seeking wisdom and counsel does absolutely no good if you don’t listen to it. Routinely we are instructed in Proverbs to seek and listen to counsel.

While none of us can know exactly what the future will hold, it seems that a principle in life is that you will suffer consequences if you ignore wise counsel. It was true for Solomon’s son Rehoboam who lost control of 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel because he ignored wise counsel. It was true for the remnant of Israel who ignored Jeremiah and suffered their fate in Egypt.

Sometimes I wish that we could all be a little more like Pinocchio. Not because of the strings or being made out of wood, but because of his nose. If you recall, Pinocchio’s nose gets him into all sorts of trouble because it grows when he tells a lie. In many ways, it would make life far easier if there was some easy way to tell if someone were lying.

We all know the damage that can come when we choose to lie. It is such a significant issue that Agur, the author of Proverbs 30, asked for help from the Lord to never do it.

As a parent of young children, I have learned that you do not need to teach a child to lie, rather you must teach them the importance of telling the truth. As sinful humans, we naturally lie to protect ourselves or others. We lie because we fear what might happen if we tell the truth and because, ultimately, we do not trust that God is in control.

May you come to trust that God does know the future and is in control and that you can confidently speak the truth regardless of the outcome.

The theme this week is communication. The wisdom literature of the Proverbs and the poetry of the Psalms have much to say about how we communicate. Sometimes this communication happens internally, sometimes it happens with other people, and sometimes it happens between us and God. So much of life involves communication, so I hope that you are able to glean much from the devotionals this week.

Todays Devotional:

I don’t know if you have heard of the TV show American Idol. Basically the show is a singing competition. My favorite part of the show is the audition segment in the first few weeks. It never fails that a few people will audition who are poor singers, but think they are good because all their friends say they are good. Either these friends are terrible judges of musical talent, or they were saying flattering words to boost this person’s self-esteem.

This is the danger of flattery. It is terribly misleading, if not entirely wrong. Proverbs tells us that flattery causes ruin (26:28), that it is a trap for people (29:5), and that it is less appreciated than frankness (28:23).

Flattery can be as subtle as it is destructive. It can be easy to justify the use of flattery as well. How bad can something we say be if it results in someone feeling better about themselves. Even though you love and care for the person that you are speaking with, the Bible tells us to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15), not speak a half-truth or choose to omit the truth.

Flattery may sound nice, but in the end someone will get hurt.

The theme for this week is simplicity. This concept is brought out especially in the book of Ecclesiastes. We are not looking at simplicity as the ultimate goal of life during this week, for bringing pleasure to God is our greatest purpose. Rather we are studying and thinking about simplicity because of the many connections that exist between obediently following God, making wise decisions and living a simple life.

Today's Devotional:

God created sex (Gen 2:24-25) and blesses it in the proper context of a committed, loving marriage relationship. This book is a beautiful description of the intimate relationship that takes place between a husband and a wife.

Many have wondered how Solomon, the author of this book, could have written such a beautiful love poem considering his 700 wives and 300 concubines. It is most likely written about his relationship with his first wife, the daughter of Pharaoh. The playfulness and intimacy they share is reflective of a simpler time in Solomon’s reign before the building projects and rapid expansion of his wealth and influence. Solomon had it all – God’s blessing, money, wisdom, power, influence and women. And yet the more he had, the worse his relationship with God became.

Many lives have been complicated and pain compounded as a result of extramarital affairs. Not only is it an obedience issue, it makes for a far simpler life if we heed Proverbs 5:18, “Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth.”

As a Father of two (soon to be three) children, I think often about the legacy that I am building within my own family. Proverbs 4 provides us with some good lessons on how to build and leave a meaningful legacy. This proverb demonstrates that wisdom is so interconnected with legacy building that, without it, we are in danger of leaving a negative or destructive legacy that will cause pain in the generations to come.

So if wisdom is so important, where does it come from? Scripture reveals a number of sources of wisdom and today I want to encourage you to consider five of them:

1) Wisdom comes from the Lord (Pro. 2:6; James 1:5).
2) Wisdom comes from seeking other’s counsel (Pro. 13:10).
3) Wisdom comes from receiving the Lord’s discipline (Pro. 19:20).
4) Wisdom comes from obeying the Lord (Pro. 4:4-5).
5) Wisdom comes from observing God’s creation (Pro. 6:6).

If you want to leave a legacy that is a blessing to your family, then acquire wisdom.

Solomon was a prolific writer. 1 Kings 4:32 tells us that he wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs. What a legacy, right? Well, yes, that is until much of that was lost.

What we have remaining of Solomon’s writings is that which was inspired by God and was incorporated into the word of God. So ultimately Solomon’s legacy was dependent upon the eternal Word of God.

I think that this is instructive to us as we consider the legacy we will leave behind. Much of what we will accomplish or produce will either end up lost or forgotten. I am not trying to depress you; I just want to give you a reality check. As with Solomon, only that which we do that involves eternal things will truly last. Awards, accolades, stuff, money, these things will all pass away. It is what we do in and for people that will truly build our legacy.

Will the legacy of your life be sold in a garage sale, or lost in a fire some day? How sad that would be if it were true?

Follow the example of Jesus and pour your time and energy into the people around you. If you do, you will not be disappointed and the impact of your life will not be forgotten.

The theme for this week is integrity. This week’s readings will cover the last of the judges, Eli and Samuel. Following those two leaders we will meet the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David. All four of these men learned the importance of integrity through their experiences.

Integrity is something that we all can struggle with from time to time. Integrity is something that can be easily lost, but is not so easy to regain without God’s help. As the four men we will read about learn, it is absolutely essential to being a leader in God’s kingdom.

Today's Devotional:

To say the least, Eli’s sons were lacking in integrity. They disrespected the Lord’s offerings (2:12-17), carried on immoral sexual relationships with the young women serving at the tabernacle (12:22), and they didn’t honor or listen to their father (12:25). I think we are safe to say that, somewhere along the way, Eli dropped the ball as their Father.

Why is integrity so essential? As I write this devotional, our nation is mourning the loss of President Gerald Ford. As I have heard of all he did, the one thing that was mentioned the most was his integrity. He may not have been the greatest leader or accomplished as much as other presidents, but he stood out because of his integrity.

Our integrity, or lack of, leaves a lasting impression on the people around us, especially our families. “The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them” (Proverbs 20:7). Are you living a life of integrity? What kind of legacy are you leaving behind?

(Because devotionals didn't get posted over the Labor Day weekend, this is the second devotional for today. A new week of devotionals will begin tomorrow.)

When Gideon received his calling from the Lord, three times he asked for a sign to reassure himself that God was truly with him. Three times! Why would Gideon put the Lord to this kind of test? Does he doubt God and his promises or does he doubt himself?

You know sometimes, I find it very easy to criticize Gideon, but I know that if you and I are honest, we are sometimes just like him. We doubt God’s calling and purpose in our lives.

So, how can you know God’s will for your life? First of all, read scripture, for God’s word reveals His will; “Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). Second is to trust God at His Word; “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov.3:6 NIV).
Don’t be like Gideon, wasting time looking and waiting for a sign. Rather, read God’s word and live according to it, and then you can be confident that you are living according to His will and purpose for your life.