Sunday, March 29, 2015

Grace and Reflections for a Women's Heart # 6

~ A Look Into Proverbs ~

" For the Lord giveth wisdom:
out of his mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding."
(Proverbs 2:6)

~~~***~~~

Proverbs contains the very wisdom of God
given to show us the value
of living prudently ~ or to be cautious


" As the refining pot for silver,
and the furnace for gold,
so is a man to his praise."
(Proverbs 27:21)

~~~***~~~

Being on the "top" many times brings with it praise.
It's easy to look for a pat on the back
in our accomplishments,
or a good word to our account.
BUT
Is praise easy to handle?
Do we find ourselves liking that attention
and forgetting Who the glory belongs to?

~~~***~~~

Praise can bring with it some unseen dangers:
*It may cause us to believe
we are better than we really are
Jeremiah 17:9&10 tells us that
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked:
who can know it.
I the Lord search the heart,
I try the reins, even to give every man according to 
the fruit of his doings."
~
When we are in the flesh we cannot please God,
He knows our hearts.
"Our righteous God will try our hearts and reins."
(Psalm 7:9)

~~~***~~~

* It may lead us to think we deserve what we have  
We have nothing and can do nothing with out Christ.
John 15:4&5 tells us we are to
"Abide in me, and I in you.
As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine;
no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches;
he that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit,
for without me ye can do nothing."
~
For a believer, Christ alone  can provide the grace
and provision of our needs in life ~ thus ~
we are to remain faithful in our service
for the Lord, and to the study of the scriptures
in order to bear fruit..


* It may blind us to our own weaknesses
" Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall."
  Corinthians 10:12)
~
It is easy to become over confident and complacent,
which can bring us to a place of falling.
We may become confident in ourselves, 
or even complacent believing all is well ~ pride ~
and the pride of our heart can deceive us.
Therefore ~

~~~***~~~

* It may lead us to a place where we no longer
think we need the Lord
How easy it is to become so dependent on ourselves
and our own works that we forget
or even push God aside,
maybe even forgetting Him all together.
Satan would love for us to go through our days
forgetting to walk ever so close to our Saviors side,
whereby giving him a foot hold to devour us.
~
1 Peter tells us to
" Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil as a roaring lion,
walketh about seeking whom he may devour."


The spiritual truth behind Proverbs 27:21 
is not hard to spot.
Satan often attacks us at the point of our strength,
not always at the point of our weakness.
Should that surprise us?
After all, why should Satan attack only in the
point of our self-perceived weakness?
If you or I know we have a weakness,
that's the very area we will guard most carefully.
Such as ~ problems with anger ~ laziness ~
lust ~ gluttony ~ gossip ~

~~~***~~~ 

But it is not so with our strengths,
we tend to take them for granted.
After all ~ we think our strengths are not a problem for us ~
we think they are not temptations.
Watch Out!
There is danger ahead, should we take that area
of our life for granted, because that will be the one area
Satan is most likely to attack.
Why? Because that's the one area where we
are not watching for his attack!

~~~***~~~ 

Should someone compliment us ~ 
pat us on the back ~
praise our works saying well done ~
smile, say thank you, and give the glory to God.
May we not let it go to our head.
~
All we are, all we do and will ever be
is because of Christ.
We were created for Him, by Him and for His glory alone. 

~~~***~~~

Precious Heavenly Father,
To You be all glory!
May we not become so proud in ourselves
that we neglect You
in every area of our lives.
Shine brightly within our hearts
that we may glorify You.
In Your Holy name we pray these things.
Amen

To God be the Glory!
~ Debbie ~ 



I'm joining the party at
Roses of  Inspiration
http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com

22 comments:

Sylvia said...

Great post,Debbie, and good verses to ponder on today. Thanks for sharing and may you have a glorious day in the Lord!

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

Oh Debbie, I needed to read this. Your post and scripture selections are important reminders for me as this week, I experienced a difficult circumstance at work. However, your post reminded me that God has spared me; I felt alienated from a group of colleagues, feeling as if I don't belong and am not accepted. But I just realized that if I were a part of said group, I may fall into some of the undesirable things about which the scriptures speak (pride, gossip). I want to stay away from that and if it means I have only one friend at work (another teacher who is a believer!) then so be it. THANK YOU for this very important and timely reminder. I HAVE BEEN SPARED! Anita

Marilyn Mathis said...

What a wonderful post and something we all need to be reminded of. I especially like the comment, "Is praise easy to handle? Do we find ourselves liking that attention
and forgetting Who the glory belongs to?" We need to be so careful that our lives reflect Christ and give Him the glory for everything good comes from Him.

Linda Walker said...

Good morning Debbie, This is a wonderful post and ironically I had a conversation earlier last week with a friend about praise and over praise.... Thank you for posting this, it has given me much to think about today.
xo
Linda

Anonymous said...

It is hard to let go of thinking we are strong by ourselves...but it is quite deceiving to think that....instead, it is in our weakness that we can see Our Lord's strength. Thank you for sharing Debbie :) mari

Linda said...

Dear Debbie,

I had a headache when I came to your blog, but now since I have read your lovely and inspiring post and listened to the beautiful music, my headache has vanished. God bless you, and a heartfelt and sincere thanks for all you share.

Celestina Marie said...

Dear Debbie, this is a beautiful teaching post!! I love the verses you share today and your photos to go with your lesson.
Lest we become too proud with self praise, I pray to always let the glory be God's knowing that anything I succeed in is always from his gifts and blessings. At the same time, I want to be someone who notices others and praise them instead!

Thank you for sharing this meaningful post and perfect for Palm Sunday and Easter week.
May you enjoy a special holiday and be blessed.
Hugs, CM

Robyn said...

Thank you, Debbie, for a beautiful post and so much to think upon.
You always find lovely ways to remind me of what's important. Thank you so much.
I hope you're well, friend! Love and hugs to you.

Joyful said...

Wonderful post and wonderful advice Debbie. I did apply this throughout my life. Thankfully God kept particular pride in accomplishments in check ;-) God bless you and your family throughout this blessed Easter season. xx

Debby Ray said...

Debbie...thanks so much for these wonderful scriptures to remind us that we are nothing without HIM. Blessings to you this holy week!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Lovely scriptures and a very thought provoking post. (Also love the music from Anne, one of my favorite series) Have a wonderful week!

Anne Payne said...

Wow, Debbie! I honestly never thought about guarding my strengths. Thoughts to ponder on, my friend. Thank you. :)

Have a wonderful and Christ-filled week!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Good morning, dearest Debbie! I am sitting here sipping tea from my newest teacup from Stephanie's teacup exchange and pondering your words. I never realized that we must also guard our strengths, but how right you are! Thank you for sharing your wisdom, which is a gift from Our Lord, with us.
Happy Easter blessings to you.

Mascha said...

Thanks for the words and the music.
You have a phantastic Bible collection.
Have a blessed Easter time

Camille said...

Your collection of Bibles is beautiful my friend! Some of them match some of ours. :) I have the Thompson Chain Reference KJV in burgundy leather as well. How sobering it is to consider that we actually deserve Hell...and our Precious Saviour redeemed us from it with His blood!! May we never take to ourselves the glory due to Him. Thank you for always pointing our hearts to Him and His Truth. Hugs to you! Camille

CherylQuilts said...

Oh, precious Debbie, I am always refreshed and encouraged by your words of comfort and encouragement, together mostly importantly with the Word of God! Oh, I so need to be reminded that all we do is for His glory. It's so easy to post something and get praise for it and not remember (really remember) that without God, we are nothing. Praise God that He and He alone is to be glorified and praised and that we are mere (and minor) reflections of His glory! Thanks, precious friend!

Wilma said...

Hi Debbie,

This is so true !
Thank you for sharing it.

Hugs, Wilma.

Buttercup said...

Stopping by to say hello and let you know I'm thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers!

Lady Linda said...

Good evening Debbie...I really enjoy your long and thoughtful blog posts. They give me a great deal to think about. Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comments. I told my hubby that I know why Stephanie is so sweet...she takes after her mama. I wish you a good Holy Week as we prepare for Easter.

Kelly-Anne said...

Dearest Debbie..what a beautiful, thought-provoking post! Thank you so much for this blessed devotional - such a good reminder and I thank you for sharing!
May we always give Him all the glory everyday of our lives and in everything we do and say!
Blessings on your day!
Love in Christ,
Kelly-Anne

Ann at eightacresofeden said...

Hello Debbie,
Thank you so much for visiting my blog and leaving a comment. When I saw a comment awaiting moderation I sighed as I thought it was going to be another spammy one as I have been receiving lots of them recently but the sigh turned into a smile when I read it and then came across to see your blog. What a beautiful name you chose for your blog. I am just going to have to follow along because I sense I am going to receive much encouragement here and we have so much in common! A house in the woods, our favourite rooms are our kitchens, given to hospitality and a love of beautiful teacups - I often drape my teacups and cake stands with pearls too. I sell lovely organic Australian made teas on my market stall and each month together with my daughter we to aim make our stall the prettiest in the market. It is just amazing how many women are drawn to it. I see it appealing to the desire in their hearts to be homemakers and create beauty in their homes. I'm hoping I find time very soon to update my blog even with a short post which is not that easy for me but it's probably the only way I can keep it going at this busy time in my life. Have a beautiful and blessed Easter and feel free to email me so I can tell you more about my life.

Nina said...

Truly words of wisdom, on your post today, Debbie.
Praise can be easily thought as an emotional response, maybe due to the culture of praise music and the praise worship services ... Praise is not always easy, yet it leads us to focus of the Lord, on the fact the He is and always will be, His holiness ... And that we're completely dependent on our God - a precious position to be in.
Thank you for being and sharing His light,
love from Nina

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