Author: divinewisdomforchristians

Drawing Near to God 

“Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. That your trust may be in the Lord, I have made them known to you today, even to you. Have I not written for you thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge, to make you know what is right and true, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?” (Proverbs 22:17-21)

“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:1-4)

For one calendar year, we have walked in the way of biblical wisdom together. A wise man wrote his proverbs to help us trust in the Lord, to know what is right, and to “give a true answer to those” [seeking] wisdom. Luke wrote to his Christian brother, Theophilus, to give him assurance about his beliefs, having been taught the doctrines of the faith. “To these words, to this knowledge, the ear must be bowed down, and the heart applied by faith and love. To live a life of delight in God and dependence on him is the foundation of all practical religion.” * I have tried to approach this project with humility and faith, knowing that the Lord always blesses His Word and our correct application of it. My opinions or interpretations have been the enemy of my work. Other bloggers and readers have told me that my blog will be successful as “long as I am true to myself.” Perhaps that is what motivates other bloggers and searchers for truth, but they do not understand that I am searching for the truth from God in the Bible, beyond my previous understanding. Even more, I know that God delights in our drawing close to Him. Luke walked with our Lord Jesus for about three years and also wanted his brother in the faith to have an intimate experience with Him. God, in his grace, purposes for us to know him better and to love him more through Scripture. 

Paying attention to God by yielding to the Holy Spirit involves our ears, to hear His Word, our hearts to treasure it, and our most inner recesses to hold onto the truth so we can easily speak of God wisely. Luke’s gospel was intended as an orderly account for Theophilus not chronologically but by the wisdom of God, as events unfolded to confirm Jesus’s identity as the Son of God. The sayings of Proverbs, while having some logical progression, also circle back around to the truth that wisdom is found in the fear of the Lord. (1:7; 1:29:2:5; 3:7; 8:13; 9:10; 14:27; 15:33; 16:6; 19:23; 23:17). We would all profit from a study of “the fear of the Lord,” as we would from other word, topical, or exegetical Bible studies, as long as we do so to draw close to Jesus Christ, our wisdom from above. 

How will you draw closer to the Lord in 2019? What will you need to set aside to yield to God, the Holy Spirit, more intentionally?

* Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Proverbs 22:17-21, https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/proverbs/22.html

God is Glorified Through Endings

“A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” (Ecclesiastes 7:1-2)

I am writing this devotion from my bed in a rehab facility where I have been for eighteen days, which is eight more days than I expected to be here. The surgery went fine, but the rehab has not gone as I expected. All thought this stage of my recovery would have ended and that would have been a great relief. If I were home, it would have meant that my greatest pain and most challenging work was finished. However, rather than be at the end of that stage, I seem stuck in the middle, and I do not know why (yet). Endings symbolize many things: accomplishments, loss, relief, and always change. The most profound change we will ever face in our lives is our death; existence will not be as it was. When someone else close to us dies, our lives also change, even more than when a child is born, or a wedding is celebrated. Endings are final.

We know that God works all things together according to his good purposes (Romans 8:28). He will use a good name to remind us of the work that only he can do in life since goodness can only be found in Christ. Every Christian who dies is a testimony to our Savior’s redeeming grace.  There is more serious talk about life, the meaning of life, and the special grace of salvation at a funeral than there is at birth, where we should rejoice in God’s general grace to all people who are born. John Gill puts it this way: [Deceased Christians] are meet for heaven; the righteousness of Christ on them, and so have a title to it; they are such who have hope in their death, and die in faith and in the Lord: their death is better than their birth; at their birth they come into the world under the imputation and guilt of sin, with a corrupt nature; are defiled with sin, and under the power of it, liable in themselves to condemnation and death for it: at the time of their death they go out justified from sin through the righteousness of Christ, all being expiated by his sacrifice, and pardoned for his sake; they are washed from the faith of sin by the blood of Christ, and are delivered from the power and being of it by the Spirit and grace of God; and are secured from condemnation and the second death: at their coming into the world they are liable to sin yet more and more; at their going out they are wholly freed.” *

Today is a good day to consider what endings have taken place in 2018, and may still come in the next day. Obviously, some things are not meant to end, since January 1 is an arbitrary date on the calendar. But perhaps there are some issues, torments, or burdens that the Lord would have end before you begin the new year. Will you seek his wisdom on this last Sabbath of 2018 for what might be put away in your life, to move forward with him?

* John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:1, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ecclesiastes-7.html

Endings 

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit…Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.” (Ecclesiastes 7:8, 10)

When we have repeat experiences it is common to compare them. One child’s birth is more difficult than another’s; this job is better than the last one; or the medical procedure I had today is harder than the exact same procedure was last time. Comparing everything and everyone is a function of our sin nature—we love to measure, evaluate, and judge. This is not necessarily wrong unless our standard is our idea of what is good and best. The easiest or the most exciting experience is best, while the most difficult and mundane is the worst. However,  our Bible verse tells us that it is not wise to ask why this time is harder than last time, or why we can’t return to the “good old days.” Let’s face it, those days weren’t that good; we are deceived by our memories. “It is folly to cry out upon the badness of our times, when we have more reason to cry out for the badness of our own hearts; and even in these times we enjoy many mercies. It is folly to cry up the goodness of former times; as if former ages had not the like things to complain of that we have: this arises from discontent, and aptness to quarrel with God himself.” (1)

When Christians are dealing with difficult circumstances and trials, illness, injury, hardships, or losses, we can find comfort and encouragement in the fact that these adversities are temporary. Our end will be with Christ, even if our physical or emotional well-being is weakened until the time when we leave this earth. Death is the great healer and end of all misery, suffering, and pain. But in the short run, even if the “end of the thing” is unpleasant, we have had the opportunity to grow in faith and dependence upon God. His victories are not always material and often show up in the responses of others more than in ourselves. Wise living involves being an example, even an imperfect one, for those who pray and support us.  “Whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:21)

“The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit; patience is a fruit of the Spirit of God; and is of great use in the Christian’s life, and especially in bearing afflictions, and tends to make men more humble, meek, and quiet; and such are highly esteemed of God; on them he looks, with them he dwells, and to them he gives more grace.” (2)

Let’s consider what God has done in 2018 as it comes to an end. How have we grown in faith? In what way is the end of the year better? Are God’s works in us and our lives clearly seen? How will our answers impact our relationships with him in 2019?

(1) Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:7-10, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhn/ecclesiastes-7.html

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Ecclesiastes 7:8 https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/ecclesiastes-7.html

Preparing for 2019

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.” (Proverbs 24: 27)

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Every year, between Christmas and New Year’s, I pray to God for particular guidance in the new year. Then I keep a journal with the passage or verse at the top, to remind myself of my focus for walking with the Lord during the year. My focus verse for 2018 is 2 Corinthians 13:5; I was helped by it to remember whose I am, to pay particular attention to my identity in Christ. When I saw the verse today (for the first time in about a month), I realized how many ways I felt tested this year, to know where I place my trust and hope. And in Paul’s words, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

We mark December 31st and January 1st as arbitrary milestones in our lives, but they are only dates on a calendar—a convenient way to keep our schedules straight and plans coordinated. Our sanctification is continuous, rather than some goal or task we might accomplish, like a resolution for the new year. God’s work in us, with our participation, hopefully builds us up, one step at a time. While we may want to start fresh every January, we know that we can only start from where we left off on December 31st. Our slates are cleaned by our confessional life, not by our accomplishments, and even those, in one sense, are preparation for some future work. And it is in that sense that we are always building on what Christ has started in us, as He continues his work to conform us to His character. Proverbs 24:27 emphasizes the need to take care of necessities by preparing fields for food crops, before building a house. The progression of the work is to “prepare” and “get everything ready,” and only then “build.”

How will you prepare for what the Lord is going to do in you, for you, through you, and in your life in 2019? What has he done in 2018 to help you be ready for the new year? Will you take some time to examine yourself and test yourself, to see if you rely on your identity in Christ, or on something else or someone else, which may lead you astray in 2019?

Building a Life with God

“…the paths of all who forget God [wither]; the hope of the godless shall perish. His confidence is severed, and his trust is a spider’s web. He leans against his house, but it does not stand; he lays hold of it, but it does not endure.” (Job 8:13-15)

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.” (Proverbs 14:11)

Yesterday I was having a conversation with some friends about different types of houses we had lived in. When I was in my mid-20s, I rented a one hundred and fifty-year-old stone house in Maryland, in beautiful horse country. The house was constructed of large stones, resulting in exterior walls that measured about 1.5 feet in width. The inside of the walls was the exposed stone—so the only thing between you and the weather was, you guessed it, stone. I am sure that the house will stand for many more decades. Consider a house like that one compared to a spider’s web, which is brushed away with the sweep of a hand. Here is the difference between one who trusts in the Lord and flourishes and someone who forgets God, whose hope perishes. “The spider’s web, spun with great skill, but easily swept away, represents a man’s pretensions to religion when without the grace of God in his heart.” (1) 

John Gill describes how we might forget God. “Who forget that there is a God; he is not in all, and scarce in any of their thoughts, and they live without him in the world; who forget the works of God, of creation and providence, in which there is a glorious display of his being and perfections; who forget the benefits and blessings of his goodness they are every day partakers of, and are not thankful for them; and who forget the word, worship, and ordinances of God…[who] may carry their heads high in a profession of religion, and make a fair show in the flesh while it is a time of outward prosperity with them, but when tribulation arises on account of religion, they are presently offended, and apostatize; being destitute of the true grace of God, and having the root of the matter in them, they wither of themselves.” (2) The spider spins its web out of its silk, dependent entirely upon itself for its life, food, and refuge. We are like spiders spinning our webs of trust and dependence when we forget that without recognizing the grace of God in Christ given to us we are quickly swept away into a world of other webs and accumulated dust. 

Our homes represent our refuges and shelter, our places of rest, personal meaning, and self-expression. Our souls are either at home with the Lord or at home in the world, spiritually distant from the Lord. It’s true that “Home is where the heart is.” Where is your heart? What kind of home does your soul desire for the coming year? How will you build a life of dependence upon God where you can flourish confidently?  

(1) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Job 8:13-15,  https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/job/8.htmlise/

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Job 8:13-15https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/job-8.html

December 26                     A Stately Stride

“Three things are stately in their tread; four are stately in their stride: the lion, which is mightiest among beasts and does not turn back before any; the strutting rooster, the he-goat, and a king whose army is with him.” (Proverbs 30:29-31)

Christmas has ended for many of us while some have chosen to spend the day shopping. Now we’re thinking about the year’s end, perhaps looking back over events and milestones in our lives. Babies were born, relatives and friends died, new friends came into our world, medical needs arose, political races were won or lost, some folks moved, started new jobs, or graduated from school, and God’s grace continued uninterrupted. We might consider how we handled all the happenings in our lives to be better informed about how we might manage similar occasions in 2019. I look back and remember having determination, patience, and faith, but too often was I impatient, fretful, or discouraged. However, I think I was never particularly stately or elegant in my approach to anything. 

The writer of Proverbs 30 names four creatures that have refinement in their ways: a lion, a rooster (sometimes interpreted as a horse or a greyhound), a male goat, and a king. “It is intended that we should learn courage and fortitude in all virtuous actions from the lion and not to turn away for any difficulty we meet with from the greyhound we may learn quickness and dispatch, from the  he-goat the care of our family and those under our charge, and from a king to have our children in subjection with all gravity, and from them all to go well, and to order the steps of our conversation so as that we may not only be safe, but comely, in going.” * These animals represent strength, speed, care, and leadership. 

We might think that we should be stronger, faster, more careful, and better leaders, taking our cue from these animals. However, let us consider that God’s majesty as seen in his omnipotence, infinite, timeless providence, personal attention, and perfect leadership. It is impossible for us to be glorious or stately unless we are reflecting God’s magnificence at work in us. Given that the Holy Spirit takes up habitation in us, doesn’t it make sense that we would be refined and even regal? 

Do we deny our spiritual strength with a casual approach to life? What reason could we possibly have for not wanting to God’s glory to shine through in us? Will you think about it?

*Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary on the Bible, Proverbs 30:29-31, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mhm/proverbs-30.html

Happy, Wonderful, Joyful Christmas!

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’” (John 1:45-49)

Almost seven decades ago, I was born in Baltimore, Maryland to a Reformed Jewish family living in a Jewish neighborhood where the orthodox Jews walked to Synagogue on Saturday mornings, didn’t carry money, flip light switches, or cook, for fear of breaking the Sabbath law. My home must have seemed radically liberal in that community. When we moved, it was also to predominately Jewish neighborhoods. We attended temple services on Friday night, as most Reformed Jews do, at the beginning of the Sabbath, after saying the prayers at dusk before dinner. I did not know God as a person or Sovereign; I knew stories from the Pentateuch, Hebrew prayers, and Jewish traditions. We had a Torah but not a Bible. I heard this prayer millions of time in my young life: שְׁמַעיִשְׂרָאֵליְהוָהאֱלֹהֵינוּיְהוָהאֶחָֽד׃ – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)

How did a naïve girl, basically a cultural Jew, become a lover of Christ, the true King of Israel? How could anything good come out of Baltimore where I pridefully rebelled, seeking my self-righteousness as the highest good, if not by by God’s grace alone, because of His irresistible grace, sovereign election, and victorious mercy! If I were superstitious, I might suspect that the Lord wanted me to see the power of his choice, giving me an almost-Christmas birthday (26th), saving me at the symbolic age of thirty-three, starting with my Jewish upbringing. Think what you will, but every soul that Christ rescues has the same precious, momentous and amazing journey from utter corruption to complete reconciliation. 

Our one, unique, victorious Savior will elect others to the kingdom today, and every day until Jesus returns. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will bring quietness and solemnity to the world today that will only be duplicated next Christmas and the one after. Today we celebrate the humility of Jesus Christ with wonder and awe. He is the Lord our God. The only One who offers eternal life to the elect, for his pleasure. May He find delight in our meditations today. How will you gift Christ on His birthday? Will you share your joy with your family and friends?

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)

We Need Jesus, Who Forgives Our Sins

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit…I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalms 32:1-2, 5)

“Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13-14)

Christmas Eve where I am is quiet, and much like any other day except for some visitors who wouldn’t usually come on Monday. Many families are celebrating Christmas Eve by traveling to be together, attending church services, and opening gifts afterward. In my mind, there is no wrong way to enjoy the day. However, tomorrow many will non-Christians will ignore the fact that the world was changed in every possible way when Jesus Christ appeared on earth. But His birth was celebrated by hosts of angels, shepherds, wise men, and prophets. He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” and the light that came into the world. (John 1:29:3:19). If he had not come, we would not be forgiven. 

In a quiet moment away from all the happy celebrations, believers are called to meditate on God’s mercy and blessing of forgiveness. Why would we neglect this calling? Are we so afraid to miss out on some treat or experience that we will turn our backs on our Savior today? I wasn’t ready to write this devotion before mid-afternoon today, and now that I have taken a break from visiting with friends and watching TV I come to my Lord happily and full of gratitude. It is not the when of our devotion but the what and how—Jesus Christ is the object of our faith, our Prince of Peace who blesses us with deep Shalom when we open our hearts to him. “And what tongue can tell the happiness of that hour, when the soul, oppressed by sin, is enabled freely to pour forth its sorrows before God and to take hold of his covenanted mercy in Christ Jesus! Those that would speed in prayer, must seek the Lord, when, by his providence, he calls them to seek him, and, by his Spirit, stirs them up to seek him. In a time of finding, when the heart is softened with grief, and burdened with guilt; when all human refuge fails; when no rest can be found to the troubled mind, then it is that God applies the healing balm by his Spirit.” (1)

John Gill helps us to remember that Jesus Christ is glorified when we are forgiven; confession is not a selfish act, but a humble, contrite one that magnifies God’s mercy. “[By confession]…must be meant a fresh manifestation and application of pardon to his soul: now, when confession of sin, and remission of it, are thus put together, the sense is not that confession of sin is the cause of pardon; it is not the moving cause of it, that is the grace and mercy of God; nor the procuring and meritorious cause of it, that is the blood of Christ: it is not for the sake of a sinner’s confession of sin, but for Christ’s sake, that sin is forgiven; but this is the way in which it is enjoyed; and such as truly repent of sin, and sincerely confess it, are the persons to whom the Lord manifests his forgiving love.”

Have you been forgiven by Christ today? “The orderliness and well-being in one’s life is linked to an intensely personal relationship with God. Unconfessed sin is the ultimate disorder in life. Confession and repentance leads to a restoration of a right relationship with God based on mercy…All other relationships depend on this.”

(1) Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible, Psalm 32:3-7,https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/matthew-henry-concise/psalms/32.html

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Psalms 32:5, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/psalms-32.html

(3) The Reformation Study Bible, Proverbs 28:13, Reformation Trust Publishing (Ligonier Ministries), Sanford, Fl, 2015. 

Thirsting For Living Water

“My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” (Psalm 42:2a)

“Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. (Proverbs 25:25)

One thing all people have in common is the need for water and thirst when they do not have it. Water is vital to all life; people die of dehydration, and vegetation will also wither and perish for lack of it. Over the years I have come to also appreciate the cleansing characteristic of water, in sub-Sahara Africa where dirt builds up quickly, water is sometimes scarce, and when, due to medical procedures, bathing is restricted. Cold water is especially desirable to the truly thirsty and is uniquely refreshing. King Solomon, the “preacher” of Proverbs, also compared a drink of cold water to encouraging news from far away, as if waiting for just such a message. Anyone who has been away from family members expecting a baby or dealing with a serious illness can relate to the relief of hearing that a healthy baby has arrived or the disease is diminishing. 

Even better is the news that the living God of the Bible is accessible and ready to satisfy our spiritual thirst. “[Psalm 42] begins with a poignant expression of longing for God himself, using the image of thirst: ‘As a deer pants for flowing streams.’ For the pious, the answer to this longing comes in public worship; this is clear from the phrase appear before God (i.e., at the sanctuary…), and from Ps. 42:4, which recollects the former participation in sanctuary worship.” (1) Those of us who have enjoyed corporate worship on Sundays regularly, who delight in joining our church families in the graces, and are blessed by united prayer and communion feel its absence when we are unable to attend services. The local church is the place where the “good news [is shared with the]…saints, of an estate they have [in heaven], an inheritance, a house, a city and kingdom prepared for them there: this news is brought by the prophets of the Old Testament, who diligently inquired of salvation by Christ; by the angels at Christ’s incarnation; by John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ; by Christ himself, who was anointed to preach good tidings to the meek; and by his apostles, and all the faithful ministers of the word: and the message they bring is good news; not to carnal and self-righteous persons, but to sensible sinners.” (2)

Have you enjoyed the good gospel message of our Savior as you worshipped today? “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14) Will you hold this message dear by passing it on to those who are thirsty for the living God?

(1) ESV Study Bible Notes, Psalm 42:1-4, (digital edition), Crossway, 2008.

(2) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Proverbs 25:25, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/proverbs -25.html

We Need Jesus to Not Be Misled

“Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.” (Proverbs 28:10)

We all make choices over the holidays, about the way we will spend our time. Many of you may be baking Christmas cookies, shopping for last minute gifts, traveling, or getting your home ready to have family stay with you. By God’s providence I am confined to a rehab bed, so my preparations are all verbal or written, and frankly, I am relieved to be restricted to such calm enjoyment of the days before Christmas. Sometimes our choices are limited or removed, depending on our circumstances, under God’s providence. However, when we read Scripture, we should be cautious about the choices we make for our focus. It is always best to take a verse or passage in context and work through different ways to approach one truth since Scripture is coherent. 

The two ideas in our passage are about the godly person being misled and the righteous person having a good inheritance. The keywords that tie these ideas together are “upright” and “blameless,” describing the person who trusts in the Lord and rejects evil. Implied in the first part is the truth that the ditch set for God’s person will not trap him or her, but instead, ensnare the one who made the pit. “The righteous…through the grace and goodness of God is preserved from it.” (1) The second part furthers the idea that “notwithstanding all [evil] efforts, they shall keep possession of their good things here, the grace of the spirit, and the blessings of grace, and shall enjoy glory hereafter.” (2) Gill continues, “The upright shall have, good things in possession; or ‘shall inherit good things’; they are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ, and shall inherit all things; they have all good things in Christ, with him and from him now.” (3)

We have a choice to make about our focus over the next few days. Jesus Christ did not come to give us Christmas cookies, ham, lights, or material gifts. He came that we will not be misled into thinking we can save ourselves or that anything or anyone else can give us entry to the kingdom of God. We can choose to enjoy the time with our friends and family, remembering that this is not why Jesus came to earth. Focusing on his ministry will help us not to be misled in worship, quiet time devotions, and Christmas conversations. From the beginning of his ministry, Jesus proclaimed, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) He is Emmanuel, God with us.

(1) John Gill’s Exposition on the Whole Bible, Proverbs 10:28, https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/proverbs-10.html

(2) Ibid.

(3) Ibid.