Right to the Heart

I have begun a daily Bible reading as recommended by the family pastor at our church. I am to read one Proverb and two Psalms and ask the Lord to cleanse my thoughts and my mind each day. I was supposed to start last week but I did not. God scolded me for that one this morning.

So today I begun with Proverbs 1 and Psalms 1 and 2. I had forgotten how powerful the Psalms were, even in their simplicity. They praise the power of God, the glory of God, and the mercy of God. One thing, however, that I find in the Psalms on a consistent basis is the mention of God's wrath. I know that when Christ came and paid the price of death to save us, we were saved from God's wrath. It is very apparent that God is not pouring out His wrath on the earth today or else the world would be a much different place. God's mercy and love are abound and He is letting the people of this earth live as they will and calling the elect into fellowship with Him. The Psalms remind me that God's wrath is still strong and still present but has been stayed according to His will. The world will see the outpouring of God's wrath at the end of days when Christ returns to establish His kingdom. I don't want to be on the wrong side of that one!

Proverbs 1 struck me to the heart. Honestly, I hadn't spent much time in Proverbs in the past. I would read one or two here and there but nothing consistent. They were written to impart heavenly wisdom on all of us. I hope I can absorb some of that wisdom through this process.

Proverbs 1:23-33

23 If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart to you
and made my thoughts known to you.

24 But since you rejected me when I called
and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25 since you ignored all my advice
and would not accept my rebuke,

26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you-

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

28 "Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me.

29 Since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the LORD,

30 since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,

31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.

32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm."

I read those words and felt the Holy Spirit in my heart. I had rejected God's wisdom long ago. A couple of years ago when God made it known to me that I had a problem with pornography, I rejected Him and His wisdom. He tried to tell me I was in the wrong and needed to correct the sin in my life and I rejected Him by continuing down that path. When things got bad, I prayed to Him to help me fix our financial situation and He did not; I was still in the sin He tried to steer me from and so He left me to fall back into the mud.

I know He did this, not out of spite or anger, but out of love. In His divine wisdom, He allowed me to fall deeper and deeper into the mud of sin because that was what it took to wake me up to the reality of it all. I had allowed sin to completely overtake all aspects of my life and I had forsaken God long ago. He provided no comfort or help to me until I listened and confessed to my wife and family.

Not exactly the way in which I would have preferred to deal with my wrongs but God rarely does things the way we want. His ways are much different from our selfish desires and He knows what is best for us, even when we want to do the opposite.

Lord, I praise You. I praise You for Your wisdom and blessing in my life. God, I pray that You continue to guide me and hold me close by Your side as I work through this journey back to You. Lord help me to listen, help me to be humble, and help me to let You be the Lord of my life. Thank you, God for bringing me back into fellowship with You. Amen.