Proverbs 31:8, “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”

While reading our Scripture for today many thoughts ran through my limited gray matter.  Settling on one topic is not as easy as one might think.  The Word of God is so full of truth and is rich with what we need to live life that it is often hard to decide which topic will be the topic of the day.

If I were a guessing man, I would guess that you are like me when you come to Proverbs 31.  When I think of this chapter I immediately think of the virtuous woman who is described within.  This would be true.  Today I would like to highlight or bring light to one particular verse that I have included above.  It is the eighth verse.  It jumped off the page at me today.  It is funny that I have been reading this verse for many years now each month and I did not see prior to today what I am about to share with you.  It is not a “new truth” because there is no new thing under the sun Solomon tells us.

My eye opener for today.  Proverbs 31:8, “Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.”  Yes, it is the entire verse.  As I was reading this I could not believe what I saw.  Let’s take a look for ourselves so you too can see what I see.

First of all we see the word “open” which means to open wide, to loosen, plough, carve thy mouth.  I just finished reading “Lasting Friendships in 30 Days” and in it the reader is reminded that a true friend will not sit by and let a friend be dragged through the mud or spoken ill of anyone in their presence.  We need to open our mouths and not sit by and let people gnash with the teeth as the Bible says.

Then the writer says “thy mouth”.  This struck me as being a personal challenge to everyone who names the name of Christ.  We need to open our mouth and speak in many situations that we unfortunately remain silent through.

Here is what caught my attention loud and clear.  The phrase “for the dumb”.  The phrase means speechless.  So many people read the word dumb and equate it with being ignorant or stupid.  This is not the Bible definition of it.  My wife and I enjoy the music of The Dove Brothers.  They sing a song titled “He Saw It All”.  It is powerful to say the least.  Part of the chorus says, “… ask the blind man, he saw it all.”  It talked about the lame man running, the blind man seeing and the dumb man speaking to the deaf man.  I am overwhelmed with tears as I even think about this song.  I will explain in a moment.

The next phrase, “in the cause” means judgement or strife.  There are many so-called causes today.  Everyone has a foundation, or cause of some type and they all need money.  I am not knocking anyone or any entity.  I am thankful that God has put it on the hearts of people to do these things.  Many have been helped by organizations.  I think it is the marching orders of the Church to help and not government.  That is my opinion.  I am not here to give opinions.

Next we see the phrase “of all such as are appointed”which could be a son, grandson or nation.  In other words people.  We must realize that every person born upon the earth have an appointment to make.  Some appointments are trivial and some are very important.  This appointment is the most important.  It speaks of the appointment we have with death.  We will either spend eternity in heaven or hell based upon our choice for or against Christ.

Lastly we see the words “to destruction” which refers to surviving as an orphan.  So many people want to dismiss the truth that at the end of life we will live with our choice to either trust Jesus Christ for salvation or we can reject Christ and spend eternity in hell.

Okay, today’s verse hit home so powerfully because of our son.  He is what the world calls developmentally disabled.  He is a teenager yet he functions as a young child.  If his mother and I do not stand in the gap for him, so to speak, nobody will.  It is our privilege to care for him and to ensure that he gets the best education that he can and as many of you know this has been a real battle for us all.  It is up to his mother and I to open our mouths wide for the speechless in his cause, judgement or strife as a person who if he does not trust Christ as his Saviour will spend eternity in hell.

You see parents have a huge responsibility to our children let alone if they have special needs.  We would not change it for nothing because it has caused us to grow infinitely closer the the Lord.  Praise His name!

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Psalm 119; Proverbs 31

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus help me to stand up for the helpless, the speechless and the hurting.  Most of all help me to be someone who points lost souls to you for salvation.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

As we went to see my Grandmother the other day.  Our son began having a bad day so we called and cancelled dinner.  As we were almost at her apartment I turned our vehicle in a different direction.  My wife remarked that she had no idea where we were going.  I honestly did not either; but, we pressed on anyway.

We made it back to our appointed destination with little to no incident.  Our best laid plans went up into smoke so to speak.

As I was reading Psalms 1:1, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”  I thought about our change of course.

The verse tells us that “happy” or “blessed” is the one who walks not in ungodly counsel, “nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”

What exactly does this mean to you and I.  As you and I go through life who are we walking with?  The passage is warning us against standing in the freeway or thoroughfare with sinners.  Who do you go through life with? We need to be careful who we go through life with.  Will those we spend time with bring us closer to God or draw us away from Him?

Remember, “Your walk talks, and your talk talks; but, your walk talks louder than your talk talks.”  So how are you doing?

Prayer:  “Lord Jesus, please bring people into my life that will draw me closer to you.  In Jesus name, amen.”

Today’s reading:  Genesis 1, 2, 3; Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, 121; Proverbs 1

Exodus 39:1, “And of the blue, and purple, and scarlet, they made cloths of service, to do service in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as the LORD commanded Moses.”

As I was reading this passage of Scripture today this verse kind of jumped out at me a little bit.  It brought to my mind all of the things that might have been used in the tabernacle.  There was furniture and larger pieces.  You cannot forget the Ark of the Covenant which was a hugely important piece.  What about the fleshooks?  There were snuffers to put out candles.  There were so many different tools and other things that were vital to the ministry in the tabernacle.

I wonder how many different varieties of “tools” and the like were there.  Have you ever thought about all the different “tools” it takes to make the Church operate each and every day.  I had not until now.

The phrase that caught my attention today was, “they made cloths of service”.  Just by the phrasing here you would gather that there would be cloths that were made for other things than service. These were meant to get dirty.  They would be stained and maybe they had to be retired because of their use.  I don’t know.  I am not familiar enough with tabernacle operations.  I wish I were more familiar with it.

Maybe there were some that were just decorative and pretty.  You know who you are.  These just hang around and look pretty.  These could be called cloths of show.  Oh my, I think I might be stepping on some toes here.  Cloths for show really don’t get dirty.  Oh, they get dusty from just hanging in the same place all of the time.  They never get out and do something.  This is sad.  I hope I am never a cloth of show.  I always want to be one of the “cloths of service”.  How about you?

Are you “cloths of service” or cloths for show?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 38, 39, 40; Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150; Proverbs 30

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus Christ I ask you to forgive me for being a cloth of show.  Make me one of Your ‘cloths of service’.  Help me to yield myself to You for service as You see fit.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 36:2, “And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:”

I have referred to man’s heart as a funnel for years.  If you pour motor oil into a funnel you would not expect Coke to come out the other end.  If you do you have bigger problems.  The fact is that what we put into us is vitally important.  Earlier tonight I saw a story on a man who is trying to restore the home of the famed pentacostal preacher names Smith Wigglesworth in England.  He is in hopes that the building will again be a place of ministry.  He wants people to come hear that same message that was preached back in the day that building was in full use.  I appreciate this; but, I don’t agree with his message.

Music is a huge part of our lives here in this home.  I married a piano player so that music would always fill my home.  Why?  Well, I love her is the biggest reason.  Music is good for the heart if it is the right kind of music.  This is the kind of music we love to hear, play and sing.  Listening to the Bible on CD or tape and even DVD now is a good thing to do also.  It puts the Word of God right into your heart and mind.  You will never go wrong with this practice.

Here is a thought:  If God opened your heart and poured it out, what would come out of it?  Oh my.  You might say, “I never thought about that.”  Maybe you don’t want to think about that.  Maybe you are so full of bitterness that only blackness would come out.

So, how is your heart?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 35, 36, 37; Psalm 29, 59, 89, 149; Proverbs 29

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus, cleanse my heart and make it clean.  Wash me whiter than snow and make me a clean vessel that You can use today.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 32:1-2, “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.”

*** Editor’s note:  I have somehow made an error in my daily Bible reading schedule.  Today it will be corrected.  My apologies.  ***

Today I was reading this passage of Scripture again and I was caught by this whole scenario.  God had led these people out of Egypt miraculously and brought them to this place.  Moses is summoned to the mountain top for communion with God to receive the Law and the people loose heart.  Notice how they twisted the truth.  First they tell Aaron to, “up make us gods”.  The have forgotten the miraculous power of God and His deliverance.

Next they twisted the truth by saying, “this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt”.  They are shifting the blame to Moses and making him the object of their anger and disillusionment.  They know that God delivered them; but, they chose to place blame on Moses who was innocent.  Notice the slippery slope of sin they are going down?  Be careful!

Next they said, “we wot not what is become of him”.  They knew full well where he was at.  he was on the mountain with God.  Maybe jealousy played a part in this.  However, they chose to disobey God and He was about the lay the Law down so to speak.

The worst part of this is that Aaron was left in charge and what was his response?  “And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.”  Now, in defense of Aaron, there were probably hundreds of thousands of Israelites so that was a lot of peer pressure.  Since they were all related that made it “high blood pressure”.  Yet, Aaron could have withstood those who wanted to compromise; but, he choose to yield to the temptation.  Maybe he was disillusioned also.  I don’t know.  This I do know.  Compromise is killing our testimonies, families and our Churches.  It is time we stand up for God and crave revival and get back to being God’s kind of people.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 32, 33, 34; Psalm 28, 58, 88, 118, 148; Proverbs 28

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus Christ, I beg you to forgive me for sinning against you.  Wash me and cleanse me by your precious, shed blood.  instill within me the fire of revival.  Help me to commit to you again today.  May my life be pleasing and acceptable to you.  I ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 31:18, “And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

As I was reading today’s passage of Scripture I was caught by this verse.  I was humbled by the thought of God giving something to Moses.  Why?  Moses went up into Mount Sinai to meet with God.  No other people were allowed to even go up or get close to the mountain.  I believe this was so that God and Moses could have unhindered communion.  I do not mean the “pure blood of the grape” and unleavened wafer we serve today in our Churches.  I mean they were able to talk with one another.  I am sure it was mostly God imparting to Moses.

Why is such an experience described in Scripture so inspiring to us?  Today this spoke volumes to me about my personal time with God.  God spoke to me about my intimate time of communion with Him each day.  Do I have that time each day?  Some days are more in-depth than others; but, I do have that time.  This very blog comes out of that time.  Often my Sunday School lessons are a direct result of that daily communion.

You see, my friends, you miss so much by not having a daily time where you can get alone with God.  I suggest all the time to take a notebook, pen or pencil and your Bible.  This is a sure sign that you are expecting to receive something from the Lord.  If you expect Him to give you something, I promise He will not disappoint you.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading: Exodus 29, 30, 31; Psalm 27, 57, 87, 117, 147; Proverbs 27

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus Christ, I come to you today and I ask you to help me set aside the time every day to spend with You.  My relationship with You is vital and I want it to be a thriving relationship.  Speak to me from your Word as we commune one with another.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 26:11, “And thou shalt make fifty taches of brass, and put the taches into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one.”

I was going to take the rest of this week off from writing to try to recover from illness.  I was not able to do that.

AT 0645 hours today’s date Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Officer David Moore passed away. He was shot by a suspect on a traffic stop around 0900 hours on Sunday morning.  Even though I had spent twelve (12) years in communications within that “system” I did not know Officer Moore.  Having watched him parents; both IMPD officers, I feel like I knew him.

As I was reading the above Scripture passage I was caught by the words “that it may be one.”  Having been to two (which I am no expert) police officer funerals this made me reflect on how this department will handle this tragic loss.  The men and women of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will come together.  They will cling to one another even those who do not like one another will bond so to speak.  They will become one.  It is evident in the speedy manner in which the bad guy was taken into custody.  The investigation and subsequent arrest evidenced how they all worked together to get the one responsible for such a heinous crime.  I burned with anger as I watched the suspect walking in shackles and prison garb and they bleeped out his answer to the media about killing Officer David Moore.  His response was, “**** him!”  This alone should bring these men and women together.

Just like the tabernacle was assembled and held together so we as Christians need to come together in worship of the Lord and service of the Lord.  The problem is that we too often have to experience tragedy before this comes about.  Don’t let this be.  Let’s come together, pull together and work together and do something for the glory of God.

So, how are you doing”

Today’s reading:  Exodus 26, 27, 28; Psalm 26, 56, 86, 116, 146; Proverbs 26

Today’s prayer:  “Lord Jesus, I come to you today and ask you to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  I ask you to help me to be conformed to your image and to work together with you and my brothers and sisters to further the gospel.  That we may all be one in Christ.  In Who’s name I pray.  Amen.”

Exodus 24:11, “And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”

Today I received a phone call from a good friend.  My friend has been very sick with bronchitis for the past week or more.  He told me that he called me because he has been so down sick that it starting to effect him emotionally.  I fully understand as we have been experiencing sickness in our home for over a week also.  As we talked he began to tell me how down he has gotten.  He related to me how he even cries that he has gotten so far down.

I know exactly how he feels.  You see I have spent many bedside prayer meetings this past week with tears streaming down my hot cheeks.  It was not for me that I prayed.  You who are parents know what I am talking about.  Add in special needs of a child and you have a real combination.  Today as I have watched our son act like he feels better some of this feeling of down has left.

Now, my friend is one who you would call a mature Christian.  He has been a member of the Church he attends for thirty (30) years he told me.  You see, he and I both know that we have had our focus in the wrong place.  That is one thing we talked about while on the phone together.  When we focus on God like we should the other things seem to pale in insignificance or they should.  If they don’t then maybe you focus is not on God.

I love the words of our Scripture verse for today, “they saw God”.  When we go to Church or when we do things for God we want to see tangible results that verify in our heart that God is in it so to speak.  These in our Scripture passage today literally saw God.  How about you?  Do you see God in your daily life?  I hope so.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 23, 24, 25; Psalm 25, 55, 85, 115, 145; Proverbs 25

Today’s prayer:  “Heavenly Father I need you today.  I need to know You are right here with me.  I need to see you today.  I need to see you working in my life and the lives of others.  I invite you to be Lord of my life afresh and anew today.  Take control and be glorified through me.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 20:15, “And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”

Yesterday our Pastor had a fantastic message on Acts 3:1-10 and following.  I had found a message that I had preached years ago on the same passage and so I used it in my Sunday School class.  Needless to say the Pastor’s message was a million times better than my lesson.  It encouraged me so much that I am going to spend some more time this week going over the passage again.  There is so much there that I did not see.

One thing Pastor brought out; which sparked my thoughts with our Scripture passage today, is that Peter and John were led of the Spirit of God and they were not taking credit nor working this out on their own.  So, as I was reading this passage in Exodus 20 and verse 25 tells the children of Israel “… for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.”

I was immediately smitten in the heart.  As the music man at our Church I want the music to effect the hearts of the singer and listener.  The music needs to prepare our hearts to hear God speak through the preaching of the Word.  I work so hard to try to make sure that the songs I select do just that.  Then there are those services where I see a hymnal coming over my shoulder because the song is too slow and the people are falling asleep as they sing.

What I am saying is that I need to work on taking my hands off the music program and let God lead in it.  I thought I was until my wife pointed out that she just let’s the Spirit lead her in what she is to sing.  The look on her face and the tone of her voice told me that she thought I was engineering my portion.  So, now I will confess this to the LORD and seek to be led of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is working in our Church and we have began spontaneous prayer meetings, whether they be individual or family.  We have the opportunity to go to Church and bow at the altar and pray for revival.  We need it.  We will not have it unless we heed the counsel of the Lord to Moses in Exodus 20:25 and get our hands off things and let Him lead.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 20, 21, 22; Psalm 24, 54, 84, 114, 144; Proverbs 24

Today’s prayer:  “Heavenly father I ask you to forgive me for sinning against You.  I ask for forgiveness for trying to engineer my life and the lives of others.  Help me to take my hands off and let You lead and be LORD.  I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Exodus 17:11-13, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.  But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”

The children of Israel found themselves in a place of trial again.  They wanted and needed water.  They were thirsty.  In verses 8 to 13 we see the enemy attacking.  The people of Amalek attacked Israel.  It always seems that this happens.  We find ourselves down or sick and the enemy attacks.  Funny how that is.  No, it is not.  The enemy waits patiently for us to experience a moment of weakness and there is his opportunity.  We are right where he wants us to be.

Notice that when Israel went to battle that God told Moses to lift up the rod.  So long as Moses’ hands were uplifted Israel prevailed and when they hung down Amalek prevailed.  I see a great picture of prayer and praise here.  When we lift up our hands to God we are acknowledging that we need His help.  We acknowledge that we are not sufficient for the battle at hand.

We can also find our place like Aaron and Hur.  We can be the one who upholds someone’s hands.  I will never forget preaching on this very passage in a New Year’s Eve service.  I had our Pastor stand down in front and I had two deacons, one on each side of the Pastor hold up his hands like what we thought Moses, Aaron and Hur might have done.  It was so powerful.  I still remember it like it was yesterday and that was probably ten (10) or more years ago.  We can uplift other’s hands in prayer also.  I know that I deeply need the prayers of God’s people on my behalf.  I am sure that you would echo that on your behalf also.

As you go to pray today, remember what a needed help you are as you call people’s names in prayer.  You are to them what Aaron and Hur were to Moses.  Today as you go to your respective Church remember to pray for others as well as yourself.  Someone might be counting on you to pray for them.  I know I am.

So, how are you doing?

Today’s reading:  Exodus 17, 18, 19; Psalm 23, 53, 83, 113, 143; Proverbs 23

Today’s prayer:  Heavenly Father I come to you on behalf of my brothers and sister who need Your supernatural help today.  Uphold their hands and strengthen their weak and feeble knees.  Open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing on them that they will be overwhelmed to receive.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.