Well I know you have been kept up nights pondering this monumental question. Why did the dog put on a business suit? Well of course you were right. It was because he was a paw-fessional. Arf, Arf, Arf.
Wednesday 6/28
Prov. 31:30 "Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised."
This verse sets forth two of the personal values that may be most desirable in our secular world. Charm is many times lost in life, often by experiencing hard times, or great health challenges, so much that they may tend to suppress charm. Beauty also can be deceiving as the years can alter those qualities of beauty. If you don't think so just take a look.
As a young boy I can remember how thrilled my grandmother would be when the pastor in passing would compliment her dress. She would talk about that for the rest of the week, she was so pleased. I can remember thinking, Oh no, we'll hear about this a lot.
My thoughts of joy personally was connected to her fixing supper on Friday night. She always made hamburgers & chips and Uncle Ray bought fresh cold A&W Rootbeer. Then grandpa would bring in his "Smooth Sailin" candy bars to satisfy our sweet tooth.
Then grandma would put us kids on the floor with at least six comforters under us & then whisk us to sleep with her stories of childhood in the oldin' days. She had many stories, poems & songs to cast her spell of adventure & mystique. It seemed like the next minute dad would be waking us up to go to the car.
Oh I got caught up with the thoughts of childhood and forgot about the greatest virtue of all, "the desire to honor our Lord". This is such an important concern that this book on wisdom began with it in Prov. 1:7 and ended with its importance of it in this verse Prov. 31:30.
You may be thinking & wondering "Just what is so important about" Fearing the Lord? Well we must be careful to fully draw into this truth. This idea of fearing the Lord isn't talking about fearing Him because of punishment, but rather fearing the possibility of falling short of His ideal in our life. I remember as a boy sitting on the front seat in church and as the pastor talked about our entrance into heaven. Seeing our Heavenly Father in all of His glory. I would go into a day dream as it were, imagining just how glorious heaven, angels, singing, beautiful flowers, the scent of fresh ocean breezes, and God in the middle of all of that surrounding, Him saying "Well done"
As a child I had never been to the ocean, but I had felt the cool breeze blowing across the St Joseph River, and imagining that the ocean breezes must be like that. My Uncle Joe would take me out on his boat & then we would fish. He would always catch his limit, and then we would go home & we would clean & cook those fish at Grandma Rhoades house on her outdoor BarBQue with lemon & butter, what heavenly food.
Of all the people in my life, my mom & dad were the people who yearned to honor the Lord most. They would speak often to missionaries who had served the Lord of the foreign fields, of God's change to the lives of people in those countries where so little was known of God. They would tell of the drastic change to the people after receiving Christ in their lives.
As a boy I was so used to having God as a central figure in my life, I couldn't imagine how dark & lonely it must be to not know of Him in my life.
While working in an Indian reservation in British Columbia, I came into contact with people who had no hope, or dreams for their future, because they hadn't even heard of God and His love for them. When I shared of Jesus' love for others, the blind, paralyzed, and even dying, they were amazed to learn of this. They had only heard of the god of the sky's, birds, clouds, but never about a God who walked on this earth & spoke and lived with mankind.
I must admit at first I was taken back by people who had absolutely no understanding of a God of love. Each evening gathering around the fire pit I told them of Jesus' journeys on earth, they had difficulty with this love for others that Jesus proved of His love for. Feeding 5,000 people, healing the sick, etc. they were just amazed, they would talk of this into the midnight times with so many questions. I had never been in a place where there was no realization of a loving God. Then the question would arise, since He loves all of these people so long ago do you think He can love me? Then I would tell them of the evidences of His love, the sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, deer, etc. All of this was evidence of His love.
They would ask at various time, how can we know Him? I would tell them to just ask for Him to make them His child. How beautiful was the simple child like words, and then His spirit came into their lives, and the powerful change that began coming about. After having experienced that wonder & experiencing the change in that group of indians over my time there. How could I not Love Him, desire to honor Him.
So Go With God for He loves the lovely, charming people, as well as, the harsh, mean people of our world. As Geoge Beverly Shea sang, "The love of God is so measureless" Won't you tell others of His love for them? Many don't know the extent of His love for them. They feel alone, uncared for, unlovable, lets tell them otherwise.