"Got sense?"

Whoever gets sense loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding will discover good.

Proverbs 19:8 ESV

Great verse. The ESV uses the word sense, other version use wisdom. Either way, if we care for our own spiritual well being we will get some sense. When we get it we need to hold onto it. The only way to find what is good is through wisdom or sense, without it we are lost and wondering.

Where do we find sense? In the scriptures of course. It only makes sense. God’s word is the source of all the we need  for goodness in this life. If you own a bible, you have the greatest wisdom in the world at your finger tips. Yet, if the pages remain closed you remain cut off from the best resource available to mankind.

The Bible is full of uncommon sense for the common good. We must avail ourselves of this great volume and get some sense. There are those that say “I have already read through the Bible, I don’t need to keep reading it.” That’s a sad commentary, Because, if one ceases to read God’s word on a regular basis they will not keep their understanding. We make many excuses as to why we don’t read God’s word. Some that I have heard and probably used myself in the past are; “I don’t have the time” or “Why read the Old Testament, we live under the New Testament?” These excuse will not suffice when we stand before the Lord in judgement.

Paul said this in his second letter to Timothy; “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (ESV) Paul knew that for Timothy to be all that he could be he needed to know the word of God. He encouraged him to handle the word of God rightly. We too must do the same. In order to do that we need to be in God’s word, every bit of it in order to be approved.

So today, get some sense. Get into God’s word and when you do, hold on to the understanding it gives you.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman

"The fullness of Joy"

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:11 ESV

The path of life, fulness of joy and eternal pleasure are only found in God. If we look elsewhere for those things we are misguided and lost. At best whatever we find will be temporary and fleeting. Only in God can we find these to their fullest.

The Psalmist understood where all the best was found. He looked to God for the path that would lead him in the right direction. He wanted to be where God was to experience the fullest joy. He wanted to experience everlasting pleasure.

This verse gives us a threefold picture of all that is best for us. Life with God affords all of this, but life outside of a relationship with God leaves us floundering and searching for that which we cannot grasp.

When we look back at our lives outside of a relationship with God we will see how fruitless our attempts to walk a right path really were. We will see that joy came and went. We will see that our pleasures were self-serving and illusive.

So today if we are in Christ and enjoying all of the things the Psalmist praised God for, let’s stay there and bask in the beauty and wonder of God’s presence in our lives. Let’s not seek other paths, temporary joys and pleasures. Let’s seek his will for us and follow his leading and have everything to the fullest.

© 2013 Leo J. Woodman