Keepin it Real

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My Bible Study Tools - Personalized Online Bible Study and Bible Reading: Proverbs 13:3 "3.He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction."

Have you ever heard the saying "keepin it real"? I have heard it several times and even saw a Saturday Night Live skit that portrayed a woman always getting into trouble because she felt she had to "keep it real" all the time. Her need to Keep things real ultimately lands her in prison. Sometimes "keepin it real" can be wrong. http://wp.me/pqimZ-Q

Realization of Faith

He made you for a purpose, and He knows you will be most at peace when you are fulfilling it.

Hebrews 11:1-2 BBE Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the sign that the things not seen are true. 2. For by it our fathers had God's approval.


The greatest Realization of Faith has been the Resurrection of Christ. Now it didn't happen anything like Christ's disciples thought it would. Jesus told them of the resurrection to come, but they could not wrap their minds around it. Their hearts were sick as saw their hopes crushed by the crucifixion. Good thing the story didn't end there.

So it is with our lives. Many times the promises, dreams and visions given us by God do not come to pass in the manner or time frame (instantly) we expect.

The disciples did not think Jesus was going to His coronation by the way of Crucifixion. The weren't waiting with bated breath at the tomb for the resurrection either. After Jesus ascended though they did as they were told, and waited for the Holy Spirit in the upper room.

It's hard to wait for our hopes and dreams to be fulfilled. Abraham's promise from God was fulfilled long after his death. That's living by faith. Practically every generation believes they will be the one to see the promise of Christ's return. They are all still waiting.

What promise are you waiting for? A baby, a new job, financial problems to end, healing, someone you love coming to Christ. Everyone of us has put our hope and faith in God at some point to bring to fruition a passion, promise or dream he has given us.

The difficult part it to let God have control of the situation and deliver in his own timing. Every time I have attempted to "help God" it has turned into a regret instead of a dream fulfilled. I urge you to take comfort in these two things. First, when we read the scripture we find that God has delivered on every single promise he made. Second, we all are waiting and hoping, in faith, for God to fulfill the dreams and promises He has placed inside of us.

He made you for a purpose, and He knows you will be most at peace when you are fulfilling it.

Who's in charge of your house (part four)

Psalms 127:4-5
4. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. 5. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

You've heard it said that children are a blessing from the lord. These verses take it a little farther than that and give us a practical reason why.

Having kids means more than having to spend more money on tuition. It means they will defend the honor and reputation of the family. These days, unless your a Klingon, this idea may not mean much to many people. In biblical times though families tended to live close to each other and be in business together. Solomon, being king, probably understood this better than most. Just imagine all of the politics that must have been going on in the gates of the city where most business was conducted. Solomon's children had to deal with this "when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

Although, I would not want to be the man speaking ill of Solomon while one of the princes were walking by. Even young children can become very agitated if they feel that someone is insulting their mother or father. You might remember being a kid arguing with on of your classmates when all of a sudden the LINE was crossed. Your foe utters the words "YO MAMA...". Many a war of words led to blows by reciting these almost magical words.

Today you don't see all the family businesses you would have back then. People don't have very large families today. And, when someone does, they tend to be ridiculed for it. Kids grow up and move far away from home. I believe we have lost some of what we were meant to have as families. We have become more concerned with a myriad of other things life throws at us. We have traded away families for material things, friends, and careers. We can still train our kids to put family first. The scripture speaks very unfavorably to those who ignore this. Proverbs 11:29 NIV, Proverbs 14:1 NCV, Matthew 12:25 NIRV

To whom will you call on when you contend with the enemies at your gate? Maybe a friend or two will lend a hand, but they have burdens of their own. Will your co-workers offer you shelter from the storm? I don't think a big house or a gold watch will save you either. I hope you have placed your family first in your life and they are there for you when you need them.

Just walk through any long term care facility. Most are lonely places filled with seniors who have very little family to care for them. It's not just nursing homes. I work with seniors everyday who have no family to come to their home or apartment to see them. One 93 year old lady comes to mind. Her only visitor is a nurse that sees her two hours every Wednesday. While I can not speak to the decisions that resulted in their current circumstances I can make sure I do everything I can to put my family first. I have no guarantee when I need my kids they will be there for me. All I can do is place them first in my life, teach them to do the same, and hope that my teachings sink in.

Who's in charge of your house (part three)

Psalms 127:2-5 3. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. 4. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. 5. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; They shall not be ashamed, But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.


At first glance it seems somewhat strange for this psalm to end with these three verses. It is almost as if the writer just changes subjects midstream. He starts out saying If you try building your world without involving God its going to fall apart. Then, without skipping a beat, he says kids are great and you should have lots of them.

He is actually just adding to the same message. The Complete Jewish Bible translates v.3 this way "Children too are a gift from ADONAI; the fruit of the womb is a reward." The added "too" in the verse shows that the writer is continuing his train of thought. Sometimes we struggle with the idea that raising a family means that we have to sacrifice our dreams and ambitions. But, if God "builds the house". If He "watches over the city". He has your dreams well in hand.

Usually, it means that we will just not have the same freedoms we had before. You might not be able to go on a surprise weekend getaway. Maybe you purchase the mini-van instead of the truck you have had your eye on. You might even choose a church to attend based on what's best for your children instead of the worship or the pastor you might prefer to hear on Sunday.

Children are in fact a wonderful gift from the Lord! I really like mine. Maybe I can convince my wife to splurge a little on features in the mini-van. What do you think April. Can I have the GPS and the AWD?

Verses four and five coming up soon.

I carry this in my car for encouragement. Allow it to lift your spirits.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you:
The Lord make His face to shine upon you,
And be gracious unto you: The Lord lift up
His countenance upon you, And give you peace.
Revere His name and the Sun of righteousness
Will rise with healing in His wings."

Hillsong - You Are Here (The Same Power) - With Subtitles

Here is a simple but great song to start your Sunday.

Who's in charge of building your house (part two)

Psalms 127:2-5 "2.In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves. 3.Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. 4.Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. 5.Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

I am going to sum these next few verses up in a more concise manner than I did with verse one. It's not because they are less important. My focus though from the start was to go into greater detail on the first verse. I believe it important to at least mention the rest of the chapter since it was written as one message. I am going to blog one verse at a time though since this requires some time to grasp each message contained in this short psalm.

"2.In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves. I am the first to admit I have spent too many nights breaking the principle behind the message of this verse. Jesus speaks to this in Matthew 6:26-32. The greater detail that Jesus uses provides a easier to digest message. God is aware you have legitimate needs and is more than willing to meet them. He will even do so without you asking. I am a work in progress on this one. Although I can certainly identify with v.32. Each day has enough trouble of its own. We don't have to spent time being concerned about things we can not control, or imagine problems that do not yet exist and worry about those.

I enourage you to spend some time in Matthew chapter 6 for yourself. Jesus' message is not wrapped in a riddle and will allow you to apply the truth of what He is preaching to the current storms of your life.

Who's in charge of building your house?

Psalm 127:1-2 1.A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain. 2.It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep."

Who is in charge of building your house? Who do you have looking after your affairs? I admit that while writing this I am still trying to figure it out for myself. Am I working too hard? Am I worrying too much about things I can't control. When I think about scripture I like to see if there is any historical significance that might lend some insight. It may seem as if I am about to get a little off track here, but I promise to bring it all together in the end.

Many scholars believe that Solomon was in the midst of building the temple when he wrote this psalm. It is possible to have no exposure to the church and still have, heard about the "wisdom of Solomon". Well, outside of his legendary wisdom, his greatest claim to fame was the building of the temple. After all this was the place that God's very presence was going to dwell. You might say the Solomon was God's general contractor.

Solomon went on to have many great achievements. As a matter of fact. If you study his life you will find that he had many great achievements. Every great achievement that can be attributed to Solomon though brings you back to wisdom. It is only when he strays from that Godly wisdom that he invites trouble in his own life and the kingdom of Israel.

Since the bible shows men, warts and all, we can reflect on their lives in a way that better helps us to come to grips with our own misgivings. You see, we don't have to be perfect to have Godly wisdom. We can correct our course when we realize we are headed in the wrong direction.

So here it is. Unless you hand your dreams over to God they are going to die. "They labor in vain" I know that sounds harsh, but think about it a moment. If you are not at peace with your self it is very likely you are trying to force your dreams to come true. Dreams are big. Too big to accomplish without God. Solomon's building of the temple helped him to understand this in a very practical way. He wasn't just building a church. He was building the very house of God. God made it very clear He wanted it to be perfect. When God is your customer "the customer is always right".

You can never see as much as God can. "Unless the Lord guards the city" "The watchman stays awake in vain".

I am going to tackle the rest in the next blog. I think we can all let this sink in until then.

Happy Birthday April

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