virtuous woman

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

Proverbs 31:26-27

"Who can find a virtuous woman?" Solomon begins, "for her price is far above rubies." This wise man's ideal of a virtuous woman is hard-working, full of faith, skilled, and servant-hearted. She does her husband "good and not evil all the days of her life." And although I can relate to the sting many women feel when they read Proverbs 31--none of us like to see where we are failing--I'm very glad we have her.

I am neither married nor swiftly headed (as far as I can tell) in the direction of marriage, but the heart of the Virtuous Woman is one I desire to share. We are all in relationship with others, from God to our families and friends, and in all of these my desire is to do good and not evil. Proverbs 31 reminds me that being a woman of faith and virtue is not about earth-shattering accomplishments or unflagging perfection. It's about strong character and good habits--a whole direction of life that is disciplined and others-centered.

The verses I've quoted above are an excellent example. As a young and still-foolish member of the human race, there is much wisdom I do not know--but as a general trend, do I open my mouth to rattle on or to speak good, true, wise things? Is my tongue ruled by the law of kindness, or do I allow sarcasm, arrogance, or impatience to direct what I say and how I say it? Do I look well to the ways of my household, or have my habits of procrastination and laziness caused everything to spin wildly out of control? Day by day, is my life marked by idleness or industry? What am I doing with my life, anyway?

Life is made up of hundreds and thousands of little choices, every day, every hour. I am constantly choosing between one action and another. Every choice forms habits and bears consequences. How are my choices affecting my life today?

The Virtuous Woman is not always popular among Christians. Many women see her as a mark of their own failures. They resent her for pointing them out. But the beauty of life in Christ is that our yesterday does not have to determine our tomorrow. The Spirit of God in us chastens, disciplines, loves, and molds us in the image of the Son.

If you made bad decisions yesterday, you can make good ones today. If your habits are destructive, now's the time to change them. It does not take monumental effort or herculean strength. It only takes little choices, little changes, to live as a woman of virtue.

wild God

"Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"

Proverbs 30:4

Two nights ago I was sitting on our front porch. The sky had been blue all day, but as evening came in, dark clouds gathered quickly. A wind began to blow, whipping up the waves on the river at the end of our street. Lightning flashed overhead. Moments before we had lived on a calm city street, watching a few cars drive by, everything ordered and safe. Now the forces of nature invaded, making the world wild around us.

The Bible often talks about the glory of God in storms. Solomon wrote of it in Psalm 30. His words remind me of Psalm 18's powerful depiction of God riding in a storm, coming to save David from his enemies:

"He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire. Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them. Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me."

Day by day, we build little theological constructs that are much like our city street: quiet, ordered, easy for us to grasp. But then the reality of God comes like a storm, the Spirit like a mighty wind, and in the storm of His presence we're forced to worship the wild God whose power and glory are more than we can imagine.

C.S. Lewis wrote of Aslan, the picture of Jesus, that he "is not a Tame Lion." Nor is our Saviour one to be bound by small human bands. He is trustworthy, unchanging, solid as a rock--and wonderfully, beautifully wild.

out to please

"Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD."

Proverbs 29:26

Like many of us, I was born a people-pleaser. I hate conflict of any kind--even a friendly debate, held in a spirit of camaraderie and used to good ends, will leave me feeling unsettled and sometimes unhappy. Sometimes I will shy away from certain courses of action or even thoughts because I know that someone else would not like it.

There are good elements to this. I want to respect others, truly. I want to honour my parents and other authorities in my life. I want to be biblically submissive, humble and meek. But there's also a lot of bad to it. Often, following God means taking paths others wouldn't take or even understand. It means doing things that will disappoint people or sometimes upset them.

Following Jesus can mean setting yourself up for a cross.

The last few years have held a lot of trials for me--growing pains, stretching, some really hard stuff. I've come to realize that the most common experience of sainthood is that of being misunderstood--and not being able to do a thing about it. And I'm learning, though it's a painful lesson, to embrace that reality. No one was ever misunderstood like Jesus. And no one ever pleased God or did more for people than He did.

Solomon reminds us that seeking the favour of those who are somehow over us may cause us to lose perspective. In the end, it does not matter what anyone thought of your actions. It doesn't matter if people completely misconstrued everything you ever did or said. What matters is that you seek to please God. It matters that you keep your heart pure before Him. It matters that you respect people, honour people, and serve people--and that you do it, not out of fear or the desire to please them, but out of love for God.

It's not an easy lesson, but if we're going to be true followers of Jesus, sooner or later we all need to learn it. The lesson hurts, but I thank God for it. In the end, He's the only One I'm out to please.

to be faithful

"A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent."

Proverbs 28:20

People tend to make much of success. Success propels us to riches, fulfillment, and fame. Underlying all true success, however, is something we often overlook--faithfulness.

In Luke 16:10-11, Jesus taught that those who are faithful in little will be trusted with much:

"He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?"

True success is never achieved overnight. It's built on the back of many days of doing the right thing, the necessary thing, and the good thing. This holds true no matter what arena of life you're in.

Solomon specifically addresses riches: the usual measuring stick for success in business and career arenas. He says that while a faithful man will abound with blessings, a man who tries to "get rich quick" will not only ultimately fail, but he will likely wind up in sin. A rush to success without faithfulness leads to a loss of innocence.

This is true in our spiritual lives as well. Many people spend their time chasing "spiritual highs" or attempting to be super-Christians before they've laid a foundation of faithfulness. We hear about heroes like Billy Graham, Amy Carmichael, George Mueller, or William Wilberforce, and we want to be like them. But the fact is, their spiritual "success" didn't grow out of a vacuum. When we think of such heroes, we think of the highlights of their lives. But those highlights grew out of lives of faithfulness: faithful prayer, faithful study, faithful hard work, and faithful love.

As I pray for myself and for others, I will pray that God would make us faithful.

tomorrow

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth."

Proverbs 27:1

One of scripture's recurrent and perhaps most important teachings is that we are "but men"--we are here today, gone tomorrow, a vapour in the wind. Nothing is guaranteed us but God's love, and even that must not be taken for granted--if we spend our lives trying to run from it, as a wise man has said, someday we'll succeed.

To me, Proverbs 27:1 is a needed reminder that I can't count on circumstances to be what I expect. All I truly have is this moment: How am I using it? James echoes Solomon's exhortation:

"Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."

James 4:13-15

This morning was a gentle reminder of this truth. I am a naturally lazy person. I knew I had work to do, but none of it felt especially pressing, and so I gave in to my too-great love affair with my pillow and slept the entire morning away. In the mail this afternoon, I received a large package I hadn't been expecting--the materials for a contest I agreed to judge and had totally forgotten about.

Now, catching up with this extra work is not going to break me. The hours I lost this morning are not, in the big picture, a major deficit. But they reminded me that my time isn't mine alone. God has work for me to do, and the time in which to do it is limited. If I am faithful in little, He will entrust me with much.

I am grateful for a God who is good enough to give gentle reminders, and I pray that I'll take them seriously. If the Lord wills, I will use tomorrow better than I have used today.

putting out fires

"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth."

Proverbs 26:20

Imagine this proverb as it might work in a family. Sister A gets mad at Sister B. She tells C, who takes up an offense and also gets mad. A and C tell D and E all about it. In the meantime, B doesn't even know anyone's mad--but by the time she comes home, she's stepping into a hornet's nest.

The tongue has the incredible power to escalate things, keep them fresh in our memories, and pass on negative emotion and prejudice. As Christians, we're called not to fuel the fires of strife, but to make peace--"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men" (Romans 12:18).

Hebrews 12:14-15 gives more thorough instruction: "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:14-15).

As I grow in the Lord, I pray that God will guard my mouth, teaching me to love peace, bless others with my words, and regularly put out fires instead of spreading them. Words can fan the flames, but they can also bring new perspective, soothing, and conviction.

How are you using yours?

the power of influence

Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness.

Proverbs 25:5

Solomon's instruction is written specifically to kings, but it can apply to anyone in a position of authority or influence: lawmakers and enforcers, teachers, parents, pastors--even writers like me, whose words can affect others. His advice? Take away the wicked from before you.

This verse is a testament to the power of influence. The people we keep "before us" will influence the way we think and act. This, in turn, affects those who are under our authority or influence. Solomon phrases this negatively: if we take the wicked away, we will be established in righteousness. If we don't--well, that's left up to us to deduce.

Of course, none of us keeps a court full of people. But we do choose who to spend our time with. We choose the churches where we attend, the preachers we listen to, and the Bible study we engage in. We may keep TV before us, with its many faces, voices, and ideas. We may keep a court of authors whose writing shapes our perspective.

As people who recognize a difference between right and wrong, we must be careful about what influences we keep in our lives. While it is good to keep an open ear and heart, it is not good to allow "the wicked" an unbalanced place. No matter how strong we may think ourselves, none of us is immune to the subtle power of influence.

rise up again

"Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."

Proverbs 24:15-16

Let's face it ... sometimes it really looks like the wrong people are winning.

Sometimes it seems that culture has been shanghaied by the wicked, the powerful are stomping over the face of the poor, sickness and disease are tearing down the healthy, liars are being believed while truth-tellers are cast out, our strengths are too weak to make any difference, and everything we love is in jeopardy.

The Bible is very honest in telling us that life is like this sometimes. No illusions here! Our salvation was won by the horrendous death of an innocent man, and that man warned His disciples that they would face trouble in this life. Heroes of the faith are made because life tests their faith--because they have to plug their ears and keep believing while a thousand voices scream that they're wrong.

Keeping faith in times of trouble may sound romantic, but it's not. It's really, really hard. The important thing is that we keep faith anyway. Our faith isn't in our own righteousness or innate ability to overcome. It's in Jesus and His promises. If you're beginning to believe that you have fallen and will never get up again, I have news for you: there's an empty tomb in Israel that says you're wrong.

In John 16:33, Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." There's a powerful echo of Solomon in these words: "A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again." No matter what comes against us, no matter how we stumble, fall, or are beaten down, we will overcome.

The Risen One lives within us, and because of His justice, His righteousness, His love, we too will rise up again.

a degree of truth

"Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge ... Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding."

Proverbs 23:12, 23

Yesterday evening my cousin and I took a walk down her dirt road, enjoying the cool spring twilight and talking about life. Our conversation touched on the world of academics. As homeschool graduates, we've both approached this untraditionally. We discussed the good or ill a university degree might do us in this day and age.

Solomon put great value on knowledge, nor did he differentiate which kinds of knowledge were "spiritual" and which weren't. In our day and age, knowledge (what we call "an education") is freely available in an astounding way. We live in a society that is mostly literate, that gives us access to books, experiences, and people, that flings school doors open to us.

Yet, our society's style of knowledge is off-kilter. We put much stock in knowing things. We put less stock in practical, hands-on, heart knowledge. Most tragically of all, in our rush to get educated, we often overlook truth. It happens on an individual level and on a societal one.

As Christians we should seek wisdom and understanding, praying and asking God for wisdom as James urges us to, but always with the desire to seek out TRUTH. Knowledge of truth is worth putting time, money, and resources into. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is worth practically nothing.

In your life, are knowledge and truth working together or opposing each other? Which do you value most? How are you pursuing it?

cast out the scorner

"Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease."

Proverbs 22:10

Merriam-Webster defines "scorn" as "open dislike and disrespect or derision often mixed with indignation; an expression of contempt or derision." Scorn is an attitude: a proud, disrespectful way of treating others and their views, requests, and actions. It's not hard to see why it leads to strife, because others react badly to being treated this way!

I always imagine some prince, ruler, or employer reading Solomon's words and realizing that the continual problems among their underlings stem from a scorner in the ranks. That fictional ruler would waste no time ousting the problem: with a confrontation and a figurative kick in the pants, the scorner be out the door. The image always makes me smile, like that scene in every good story where the bad guy gets his comeuppance.

But my own life has seen the effects of scorn, and in my case there's no one I can boot out the door. As in so many cases, the root of my problems is me--my own attitude of disdain toward others. If I'm to quell strife and reproach in my own circles, I can begin by casting out the scorner within.

Casting scorn out of my heart doesn't mean adopting a sort of false "tolerance" that puts every idea or action on equal footing. Right is right; wrong is wrong; and true and false are still opposites. Instead, casting out the scorner means ridding myself of disdain toward others. It means loving the people who cross my path and realizing that I am no better than they are. If I have any extra light, it's only because God has graciously chosen to shine it in my life.

golden diligence

"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want."

Proverbs 21:5

We live in a culture that hurries everything. Pre-preschool hurries our alphabet; cars and airplanes hurry our travels; microwaves hurry our dinners. But Solomon warned against living a "hasty" life, saying that hastiness would lead only to want--that is, lack and great need.

The opposite of hastiness is diligence. Diligence means taking things steadily, sometimes slowly. It means getting up every single morning and laying the bricks that will shelter you tomorrow. It means spending more time reading the Bible than chasing spiritual highs. It means forming good habits, doing the best things, keeping at it.

Diligence is not natural to our culture, and apparently it wasn't natural in Solomon's time either. But it is godly. Jesus' life was a diligent one. He got up every morning and did what God called Him to do. He didn't try to rush the program or skip the hard parts. And because He was diligent, we are saved.

An attitude of diligence can make an immeasurable difference, not only to your own life, but to the lives of those you influence in family, friendships, work, and ministry. Diligence is golden. What are you doing to develop it?

gifted

"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them."

Proverbs 20:9

I wrote the fantasy novel Worlds Unseen six years ago. At the time, I had some loose ideas about what it could say--besides telling a good story, which was my first priority! It touched on some of my beliefs about life: the spiritual realities behind the physical world, nature's allegiance to its Creator, and the way most of us live our lives ignorant of the world's true history and what it means to us today.

Worlds is primarily about Maggie Sheffield, a very normal young woman who stumbles into the spiritual realities of her world by accident and must learn to deal with them. However, equally important to the story are the two Gifted: a wanderer named Nicolas Fisher, who hears things no one else can, and Virginia Ramsey, a blind girl who sees visions.

Proverbs 20:9 made me think of these two immediately: "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them." In Worlds Unseen, Virginia and Nicolas are not only Gifted, they are gifts--gifts to the world. Those who believe what the Gifted tell them will arrive at the truth about life, and with it, real freedom.

In the story, though, Nicolas and Virginia are both outcasts. One wrestles to accept his own gift and thus refuses to live among people; the other is feared and ultimately betrayed because of the truth she sees. It's not easy to be the only people in all the world who understand what life really is--especially when the truth shatters everything we have believed.

Nicolas and Virginia aren't without parallel in our own world. They are my fantasy version of the Old Testament prophets, of the New Testament apostles and saints, of everyone to whom God has given clarity of vision and ears that understand. Often, these real-world Gifted were despised and rejected, driven out and even crucified. Isaiah was one such Gifted man. David, king and psalmist, was another. Mary; Anna; the Apostle Paul. John the Beloved, witnessing the Revelation while in exile on the Isle of Patmos, was one. And ever since their days, God has not ceased to send to us people who see and hear, and who will open our own understanding if we let them.

Perhaps you can think of someone who has filled this role in your life. A parent; a sister; a friend; a teacher. A singer or poet. Such people do not create or renew truth. They simply show us, through scripture and by the Spirit of God, what has always been there.

Perhaps, in the darkness of the world around, the one who sees and hears is you.

Like my fictional Seventh World, the people around us live in darkness and deception. We who have the Word of God at our fingertips and the Spirit of God in our hearts are in this world, not just as passers-by, but as gifts. In prayer, Jesus said of His disciples, "As thou [Father] hath sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world" (John 17:18).

You, believer in Jesus, are in this world not as an accident and not as a judge. You are here as a gift, bearing the gifts of sight, hearing, and true reality.

May we use these gifts well: to bring into the darkness a burning, holy light.

* * *

Worlds Unseen is available for purchase or as a free ebook from www.LittleDozen.com. It's sequel, Burning Light, is due out December 2008.

stand

"There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand."

Proverbs 19:21

So many plans; so many dreams. I scheme, plot, plan, lay out goals and steps. I spread out financial sheets and try to fit every penny in the right slot. I fall asleep guessing at the future, trying to figure out how it'll all go.

There are many devices in my heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the LORD shall stand.

Charging ahead, I halt behind a man-made blockade. Suddenly people who never had much to do with my life are acting as my adversaries. I do all I can to counter them, even as they do all they can to prevent me.

There are many devices in their hearts; nevertheless, the counsel of the LORD shall stand.

I watch as the world around me spirals deeper in rebellion; thumb their noses at their Creator and try to ignore Him. They write books to prove He does not exist. They assert their independence by destroying themselves. They set up scientific paradigms that exclude Him completely and invent religions that misrepresent Him.

And yet, He is still there, looking at them every time they look in the mirror. Image-bearers of God, doing their best to deface Him.

Yet, though there are many devices in their hearts, the counsel of the LORD shall stand. In the end we shall see Him as He is.

Sometimes I worry. About little things; about big things. About who I'll be in twenty years; about what the world will be. So many people are trying to do so many things, and I am only one of them. Our plots and plans clash now and then, and threaten to bring the world down around us.

And yet, in the end, the counsel of the LORD shall stand.

In that I take comfort and rest.

upside down

"Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility."

Proverbs 18:12

Have you ever compared yourself to someone else?

I certainly have. It's a bad habit, but a very natural one. I measure myself against family, friends, and complete strangers. Morally, physically, intellectually: my comparisons build me up or tear me down. They lead, often, to haughtiness. (Just as often, they lead to something that is not humility but pretends to be: a negative fixation on self that we sometimes call "poor self image.")

Jesus' disciples, we read, often indulged in comparisons. But shortly before He went to His crucifixion, Jesus did something that changed their view of themselves and of others forever. He dressed Himself as a slave, knelt down, and washed their filthy feet.

John writes,

"So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?"

In that moment, Jesus turned His disciples' world upside down. He laid a responsibility on them that they probably never expected to carry. That responsibility brought with it a whole new view of the world. Remember, the disciples believed Jesus would usher in a kingdom, with them as princes in it. They expected to rule--not to wash the feet of others who were, perhaps, beneath them.

But Jesus did not allow them to think of themselves this way. After washing their feet, He said,

"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.

"If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet."

John 13:12-14

God fully intended to honour Jesus' disciples. He honoured them in their lifetimes, and He has continued to honour their memory and work. But before God would bestow glory on His servants, He first taught them humility. Haughtiness, a view of life which is based on comparing ourselves with others, leads to destruction. Humility leads us to God, to love, and to honour.

The striking fact is that Jesus was superior to His disciples in every way. There was nothing in them that was greater, purer, or more righteous than He. He deserved their service; they did not deserve His. Yet He gave it.

Real humility is not about measuring ourselves against others at all, whether we see ourselves as better or worse than those around us. It doesn't matter who's "better," whose choices are more godly, whose life is more fruitful. What matters is that Jesus has loved us and washed our feet. In every relationship in life, no matter how deep or how cursory, God matters first. My relationships with my family and friends are not just about me and them: they're about God and me, and then about those He asks me to love.

Jesus, who died for us, reconciled us to God, and still serves us in a thousand little ways every day, looks at us and asks, "Know ye what I have done to you?"

I know a little: He has changed everything. My world is officially upside down.

loving the fire

"The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts."

Proverbs 17:3

For many years my prayer has been, "Lord, I want to know You. Draw me close. Reveal Yourself to me." A good prayer--but like Lucy stepping into the wardrobe, we can hardly imagine how far such a prayer may take us.

Myths about God are as common in our society as they have ever been elsewhere. The white-bearded, half-blind God who sits in the clouds and shakes His head over our misbehaviour is as much as myth as Santa Claus. The true God has revealed Himself to be someone very powerful, very beautiful, and very holy. No one will ever enter a relationship with Him without being changed.

In Revelation 1:14-18 , the apostle John saw Jesus as He truly was:

"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

"And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

"And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Gold and silver, two of earth's most precious metals, are both purified in the same way: by being melted and refined over intense heat. Proverbs 17:3 is an allegory. Our hearts are like silver and gold. The LORD Himself is the purifying fire.

We who walk with God will often find ourselves in uncomfortable circumstances. Our lives will know pressure and fire; darkness and doubt. We will know the deep passion of a heart in love with fire, and we will sometimes know the pain of a heart purified by it.

The author of Hebrews wrote, "Our God is a consuming fire." His character is so righteous, so holy, that to know Him is to come under His transforming influence. God doesn't leave us as He finds us. But this should encourage us, for no matter how lowly we are, God sees our hearts as gold and silver. We are worth a great deal to Him. Worth loving, saving, and transforming.

To God, we are worth it.

Is He worth it to us? We were created to know God. In His presence is joy and glory we have hardly dreamed of. He is the awesome, beautiful, glorious God; and no pursuit in life can ever equal the pursuit of Him.

Sometimes, knowing Him burns. But it is more than worth it to love the fire.

the king's countenance

"In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain."

Proverbs 16:15

You know you're loved when someone looks at you and their eyes light up. In your presence, they quietly glow. Likewise, you know you love someone when they have that effect on you. It's this kind of light that Solomon speaks of: "in the light of the king's countenance"--in the light of his eyes, his face--"is life."

The second half of the verse is just as simple, just as relatable. Have you ever experienced drought? The long, dry parching near the end of summer when yellow dust climbs the air and coats everything, the grass turns brown, and the trees droop with exhaustion? Have you ever felt the oppression of unrelenting heat? And then, one day, a cool breeze begins to blow; and on it rides rain... gentle, cool, sweet rain that turns the earth green and brings life back. Such is the "latter rain" that comes like a mist; and such is the favour of the king.

To men and women living in Solomon's day, this had immediate and practical application. To be singled out for the king's favour was life indeed! It meant material blessings, safety, provision, honour.

Few people in our society today have the power of ancient kings to so lift us up. But we who live in a kingdom will find these words have just as much immediate application for us. Through Christ, the countenance of God looks on us with light. We are given His favour, freely, as a gift.

Jesus' words in John 14:23 drive this reality home:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have made their home with me. They dwell with me. Each day they look on me with favour and love. It is true for all who believe and love Jesus the Christ. May our eyes be open to the light that shines from His face--may our every sense be cooled by the touch of His latter rain.

better is

"All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast."

"Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith."

"Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."

Proverbs 15:15-17

The Bible is a book of "better is." Our lives are all about choices, and Scripture is eager to point us in directions that will bless our lives and fill them with good things.

Most of the better things, according to God, have little do with material concerns. In fact, when we compare them, the treasures of the heart are seen to be far greater than those of the belly or the pocketbook. Solomon points to this truth in these, three of my favourite verses in Proverbs.

His first "better is" is a merry heart. This verse always reminds me of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Scrooge possesses an afflicted heart: he is miserly and miserable. His poor-as-a-churchmouse nephew Fred, on the other hand, lives a golden life because the merriment in his heart overflows and turns every smile and streetlamp into a feast. Life feeds him because he greets it with cheer.

Cheer is not something we talk much about these days, preferring to discuss deep, spiritual joy. But while transcendent joy is important, Solomon reminds us that cheerfulness has value, too.

The second "better is" is the fear of the Lord. I talked about such fear in my last post, where I said that we fear God because He is who He is--and He is good. The fear of God fills our lives with awe and wonder. It protects us from making decisions that would bring harm. Ultimately, it moves our lives away from unreality and makes us authentic.

The third "better is" of Proverbs 15 is love. Christians have known and celebrated this truth since Jesus first lived it for us so gloriously. Love, for God and each other, is the deepest need of our hearts and the greatest joy of our lives. I'm reminded of a line from Fiddler on the Roof. Tevye, speaking of his daughter and son-in-law, says, "They're so happy they don't know how miserable they are." They had nothing but love, and that was more than they could contain.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13 that if we have faith enough to move mountains, if our understanding is perfect and our tongues eloquent, we are nothing if we have not love. The beauty is that no Christian need be without it. Jesus Christ has given His life for us in the greatest act of love anyone could possibly imagine. Through His Spirit, that love is given to touch us, to indwell us, and to pour out to others.

Better is life with Christ, I say, than the treasures of heaven and earth without Him.

strong confidence

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."

Proverbs 14:26

Of all the verses in Proverbs, this is one I relate to very personally. People now remark on my confidence, but it wasn't always that way. A daydreamer, I was never much good at practical things--nor did I always quite live in the world others did. As a young teenager, I had the usual struggles with inadequacy.

I do remember what prompted the change. God brought new circumstances and people into my life that stretched me. They forced me to take all the training my parents had given me and really apply it. I was in love with the Lord and wanted to serve Him, and I saw how my old worries and fears would hamper that. But they didn't just go away.

Into that came Proverbs 14:26. In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence. His children have refuge in Him. He was offering me confidence. When I did fall, He offered me refuge. So there was no cause--no cause at all--to be insecure.

Fear of God does not mean cringing terror. We insult God by "fearing" Him the way we would fear a cruel tyrant. We know, from His Word and His acts in our world, that He loves us. To fear God is to recognize who He is, to acknowledge His Lordship, to act accordingly. We fear Him because He is who He is--because He is good.

When the fear of God is the central focus of our hearts, circumstances and worrisome things can fade into relative unimportance. We can be confident, not in who we are, but in who He is.

richly poor

"There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches."

Proverbs 13:7

The scene is Jerusalem, at the height of Jesus' ministry. Days ago He raised Lazarus from the dead. Hours ago He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and was hailed by the people as King. "Hosanna!" they cried. "Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Jesus' fame was at a fever pitch. So was the anger and fear of His enemies. In the midst of all this, John writes that some Greeks, who were in Jerusalem for the Passover, came to the disciple Philip and asked to see Jesus. (The whole story is found in John 12:20-26.)

This was unusual. These were Gentile converts from a distant land. Apparently they had also heard of Jesus' fame and the incredible miracles He had done. Here, in this gloriously Jewish setting, a few Greeks dared approach.

Jesus responded, "The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified."

What did Greeks have to do with the Son's being glorified? The key is in the name Jesus gives Himself: "Son of man." He didn't think this up Himself. It has a clear Old Testament precedent in the incredible visions of Daniel. In fact, Daniel describes the Son of man rising to heaven on the clouds, there to be fully glorified. He writes,

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

"And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Daniel 7:13-14

As these first few Gentiles approached, timidly, wanting only to see Jesus, the kingdom to come was foreshadowed. Jesus knew the glory that would be His: the glory of welcoming us all, Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian, into the fold of God.

It is staggering that Jesus should count us as riches--as a reward. Yet He does. All that He did was for this purpose, that He might redeem mankind and make us His own. So great is this love that makes so much of us! But Jesus did not gain riches the American way--the human way--the natural way. He is the epitome of Solomon's long-ago words: "There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches."

Jesus gave up His position on the Father's right hand. He gave up the invincibility of Heaven, the wideness of life outside of this world. He came into our narrow sphere and impoverished Himself, making Himself poor even by earthly standards. Yet great riches were His, even here. He had the riches of the Father's love. He had the riches of doing God's will. And He had the riches of salvation in His hands: His privilege, and His unspeakable gift to us.

Jesus' next words to Philip were, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

Jesus alone had the untainted friendship and favour of God. Jesus alone had eternal life. Jesus alone had the joys and riches of fellowship with the Highest. But He was not content to abide alone. He suffered, died, and rose again, that He might forth fruit in us. All of His riches, He gives us freely.

I leave you with Jesus' next few words. They are a challenge to us. How will we respond to them?

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour."

a lightening word

"Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad."

Proverbs 12:25

My dad is a musician who listens to music of every stripe, so I've always had my finger on the pulse of society. Listening to contemporary music will tell you a lot about how people think and feel! When I was a little kid, I didn't understand why the radio expressed so much weariness--hurt--bitterness. I get it now. To live in this world is exhausting. Even those of us who walk with God can be affected.

Sometimes the heart is heavy. That's just the way it is.

But God, in His goodness, has given us many ways to care for each other and lighten the load a little. When another's heart is heavy, we can help! Solomon said it well: "A good word makes the heavy heart glad."

We don't often realize how much power there is in the words we speak. The Apostle Paul did, which may be why he wrote, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers" (Eph. 4:29).

To minister is to serve. When we speak truly good words, we bring grace in our hands and pour it over the heavy-hearted. Through our words, we can wash the world's dirt away. We can heal hurts. We can encourage and shore each other up in faith. We can point others to Jesus.

Spoken with sincerity and truth, good words are power. "I love you." "God loves you." "Just hang on a little longer." "I'm here for you."

If we follow Christ, we hold the evangel--the good news--in our hearts. This same evangel is the best word we can speak to anyone. I love how the Christmas carol "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" puts it:

And ye, beneath life’s crushing load,
Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way
With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road,
And hear the angels sing!

I want to be a woman of the gospel--someone who always has grace and good news in her tongue. The good words of Jesus and of those who follow Him have lightened my own heart and strengthened my faith more times than I can count. By His grace, I'll do the same for others.