Be Acceptable - February 2020

For 2020, my theme verse is Psalm 19:14. Be Acceptable! But not acceptable by what I think is right or what the world thinks, but acceptable in the sight of God.

Be Acceptable - January 2020

For 2020, my theme verse is Psalm 19:14. Be Acceptable! But not acceptable by what I think is right or what the world thinks, but acceptable in the sight of God.

Proverbs 4:20-27: Practice Pondering. Execute being Established.

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:20-27

Give attention: cause to hearken, give heed, incline, mark well, regard, prick up the ears

Incline: incline the ear, of men (in obedience to God)

Depart: vanish

Keep: retain, of store up

Midst: center, middle

Heart: memory, mind

Find: thing sought

Health: a healing, profit

Keep: watch, guard

Diligence: act of guarding, (as a guard watches a prisoner)

Issues: the source

Life: sources (origin and direction) of life

Put away: turn off, be removed

Deceitful: fraudulent

Mouth: speech, bad qualities ascribed to it

Perverse: deviation, crookedness

Lips: speech, babbling

Far: remove

Eyes: mental and spiritual faculties, acts and states

Look: regard, show regard to, purpose

Straight ahead: right on, straightforward

Eyelids: gaze

Right: to be straight or even

Before: verb of motion, to go in front of oneself, i.e. straightforward

Ponder: make level, smooth, weigh (mentally)

Path: course of action, or life

Feet: journey

Ways: manner moral action and character

Established: in moral sense, be directed aright, direct, faithfulness

Turn: decline, pervert

Remove: behead, eave undone, be without

Foot: journey, to walk along

Evil: ethically bad, wicked; distress, misery, calamity, grievous, to make (or be) good for nothing

As I read Proverbs 4:20-27, it made be think of a Dad giving advise to his son just as he ventures out for the first time on his own. Pure wisdom from someone who has been there.... done that, and found it to be worth it! 

I think out of all the VERBS in this passage, the ones in Proverbs 4:26 were the ones I wanted to highlight here. Ponder. Be established. 

Ponder, make smooth, weigh mentally —think about it, consider it thoroughly. 

I like that word, as it describes what I do before making a decision. I research and research and study, and ask people, then do more research... then think about it, and do more research... I mentally try to think through all aspects of the decision and the results of making that decision. 

The question becomes, do I give that same diligence to my life in general and take Wisdom (true God-given wisdom) into account? Do I practice pondering? 

The next verb: Be established. Direct. Faithful. I think of being set in cement. Firm in moral action and character. Faithful to following God's standards in all I do and say. Faithful to obedience. Do I execute being established? 

Practice Pondering. Execute being Established. Both begin with a heart that is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31 MSG). For God and His wisdom are what I'm to be pondering and what is used to establish my standards for living. 

Why would I want to?

If you are looking for the posts about

God's Amazing Blessing

Announcement—I'm moving!

here's the link to the first Part: 

http://createapositiveday.blogspot.com/2015/05/announcement-part-1-im-moving.html

Then follow the arrows at the bottom of each post to the next Part.

There are 10 parts in all. 

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 This post is the continuation of my Study of Colossians. 

In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, but in a [spiritual] circumcision [performed by] Christ by stripping off the body of the flesh (the whole corrupt, carnal nature with its passions and lusts). Colossians 2:11 (AMP)

with the circumcision made without hands:

which is that of the heart, in the spirit; every man, though he may be circumcised in the flesh, is uncircumcised in heart, until he is circumcised by Christ and his Spirit; which is done, when he is pricked to the heart, and thoroughly convinced of sin, and the exceeding sinfulness of it; when the callousness and hardness of his heart is taken off and removed, and the iniquity of it is, laid open, the plague and corruption in it discerned, and all made naked and bare to the sinner's view; and when he is in pain on account of it, is broken and groans under a sense of it, and is filled with shame for it, and loathing and abhorrence of it. John Gill's Exposition of the Bible 

in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.

....this is done several ways; partly by Christ's wrapping himself in the sins of his people, bearing them in his body, and becoming a sacrifice for them, whereby the old man was crucified, and the body of sin destroyed; and by an application of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, to the consciences of his people, whereby their iniquities are caused to pass from them, and they are clothed with change of raiment; and by the power of his Spirit, laying sin under the restraints of grace, not suffering it to have dominion, but causing grace to reign through righteousness; and by the saints themselves, under the influence of grace, who put off the old man with his deeds. John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

"pricked to the heart, and thoroughly convinced of sin, and the exceeding sinfulness of it"

As I read this verse and the explanation, I had to stop and pause. Am I pricked to the heart because of sin and the shame of it? Or have I become calloused and allowed the World to give me reason to justify sin? 

When sin becomes the norm in society, is it still sin? The answer is found only in the fact and truth that God is the standard, not society or man. And if God says something is sin—that fact remains throughout eternity. It doesn't matter how we "Feel" about the sin, or that "times have changed" or any other excuse. If God Almighty has said something is sin—that is the truth and absolute standard. 

So thankful that I do not have to live in the shame of my sin, for Christ died for my sin and has forgiven me of all my sin. I am clothed in the righteousness of God! Does that mean I can simply "enjoy life" and sin all I want? The real answer to that is "Why would I want to?" 

Sin is going against God Almighty. Why would I want to do something that He has declared sin? Sin disgusts Him. He is HOLY! If I have a heart that is permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31; MSG), than I will want to live my life in accordance with God's standard. 

Deep Sense of Reverence for God: Holiness; Relationship cont 3

As I continue my study on being permeated with deep sense of reverence for God, focusing right now on God's Holiness; Relationship, I'm reading "The Knowledge of the Holy" by T.W. Tozer. 

"A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology, but to practical Christian living as well." 

Knowing ABOUT God and KNOWING God are two different things. Knowing facts, doesn't always impact ones life. But KNOWING God Himself, that relationship —should have a great impact in my life! 

How I think, act, my attitude— should reflect my relationship with God. When it does not..... than I have a problem! And most often that problem is when I forget WHO God is—and decide to act based on—me, myself, and I. 

Sin is not a relative changing thing. Just because our society now accepts something does not make it OK. God is the standard, because as a Holy God is the the only One who is worthy of such. 

One phrase that has stuck with me throughout the years, is "God allowed it because of the hardening of their hearts." Wow. I don't want God to "allow" something in my life because I've hardened my heart to Him. 

I want to remain soft and pliable so that He can teach me—then and only then, will I be permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God.

Deep Sense of Reverence for God: Holiness; Relationship cont 2

Auto spell check. Why does it continue to want to change words which are correct? And why doesn't it catch ALL the words which are incorrect?  

Auto spell check is only as good as the list of words in its database. Also, spell check doesn't KNOW what I am actually communicating. 

As I continue my study on Deep Sense of Reverence for God: Holiness; Relationship. I think of auto spell check. 

Since I'm not being "corrected" it must be RIGHT. I mean if it seems right, and I'm OK with it, it must be correct. 

Uh... WRONG! I'm not to rely on ME and my "database" when living a godly life. That can lead to chaos— "Everyone doing right in their OWN eyes" (Judges 21:25). We see that in our Country today. I want it, it feels right, I deserve it, I like it, etc. 

If I really want "auto spell check" to work properly, I need to add the words I'm using. I need up-date the database. In my life, if I want to be permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God (Acts 9:31), then I MUST make sure that I'm using God and His Word as my standard. 

God is holy, and if I want a true relationship with Him, I cannot be using my own "auto check" to see if I'm sinning. I need to make sure that the "auto check" is updated with God's Word. 

Only when I check my thoughts, actions, and attitudes through "GOD'S Auto Check" can I make the corrections to live a life honoring God. 

Permeated with a deep sense of reverence for God, if that's truly my goal, than I cannot rely on my own personal auto check. I must use God's holiness as a standard.