The Wisdom of Dilligence

Busy Busy Busy? "Make sure that in all thy doings that thou doest the thing that thou doest." Aint no fun till the job gets done. Here's some Word on it.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

Proverbs 7:15 Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.

Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

Proverbs 11:27 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.

Proverbs 12:24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Proverbs 12:27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Proverbs 21:5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Proverbs 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.

Making Love

I bet I have your attention now. Sex does that. Ice cream, shaving cream and chewing gum commercials use it, why not me. (I ought to have at least 30 replies on this one) Actually I’m not talking about sex. I’m really talking about love. Real love. Not that hush puppy, mushy, gushy play-play love, but real love.

The love that originates from God is not the same as what passes for love down here. One of the most blaring examples is to call sex, love making. I’m not even talking about illegitimate sex; I mean the divinely authorized sexual activity between a husband and wife. Having sex is not the same as making love. Though sex makes your head swoon and your heart palpitate don’t confuse it with love. Love making takes a whole lot more than that. To equate sex with love exalts the temporary, carnal, human experience to the heights of divine character. It is symptomatic of the self-seeking, self-pleasing spirit that rules the hearts of the unregenerate man. God desires to raise us to His level, we try to bring Him down to ours.

Here’s my list of reasons why sex (marital) should not be called making love. I’ll start it you finish it. Blog away.

1. Real love is not conditioned on the “mood”.
2. Sex requires chemicals, love requires spirit.
3. You must eventually stop having sex (at some point), but love must continue.
4. The Bible calls it due benevolence or “knowing”.
5. Love is what your children ought to see, not sex.
6. The term was paraded and applauded by hippies.
7. You have to study the character of God to create love.
8. You give much more than your body to make love.
9. Making real love is not about performance but selfless sacrifice.
10. Loving your enemies ain’t sexy.
11. Sex can make a baby, but it can’t raise one.
12. Eros love is not mentioned in Scripture.
13. Sex is episodic, but love is eternal.
14. Sex doesn’t always go right, but love never fails.
15. Proof of love doesn’t come during the honeymoon but after surviving some marital crisis.
16. Sex will put you to sleep, but love will send you to the cross.
17. Sensuality is physical, love is spiritual.
18. Physical disability, even paralysis, is no hindrance to real love.
19. You can’t fake love (not for long).
20. …

Blossom Drops

It’s early June and my veggie garden is doing it. My squash, snow peas, peppers and tomatoes are all blooming. The little colorful flowers are a satisfying sign that everything is growing like it should. In just a few more weeks those pretty little blossoms will transform into mouth watering morsels of home grown nutritional deliciousness.

Of course all is not well in my miniature Garden of Eden. Some demonic bug is messing with my strawberry plant, the okra are stunted by the cool nights and the weeds grow like they’re on steroids (too bad you can’t eat weeds). Two of my cherry tomatoes are experiencing a problem called blossom drop.

Blossom drop occurs for a number of reasons. Fluctuating temps, dry winds, soil deficiencies and imbalanced watering are some of the most known reasons. The short of it is that plant trauma causes the blossom to fall, thereby negating the maturation into fruit.

The similarity to life is striking. We are prepared and planted by God to bring forth fruit in our lives. We grow and develop according to plan. Rooted and grounded in love, fed by the Word and watered by showers of mercy, we spring forth with zeal and exuberance. When the blossoms (signs of our future fruitfulness) come forth, we beam with joy over the potential of our giftedness and talents.

Then the weather changes, or a strong wind blows, or we run low on food, and the blossoms fall off. Like a dream deferred, our hope dries like a raisin in the sun.

Three things to remember though;
- Weather will stabilize
- You can adjust fertilizer
- New blossoms can develop

In other words, don’t dig up the garden because of dropped blossoms. Instead, make the changes and adjustments to influence future growth.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Pr. 12:13).”

And the Word Became Flesh

Brother John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…(John 1:1 & 14).”

Theologically speaking, this references the eternal nature of the Christ. He is eternal with God because He is eternal like God. In fact, He is God. The Christ, born of the virgin, was the Word in eternity past. Coequal, coexistent and cooperative with God.

Cosmologically speaking, this reverences the creative wisdom of the Christ. He is the Logos, the logistics of the universe, the mastermind behind everything that is. He is the “know how reply” of Jehovah’s “let there be request” in Genesis 1.

Historically speaking, this recounts the earthly manifestation of the Christ. God became like us. Not morally or spiritually but physically. He partook in the human experience, not to learn but to teach. The Word became flesh to demonstrate how to live in the world that He created. The Wisdom, the logistics of creation became the master teacher of life.

Practically speaking, this reveals the teaching ministry of the Church. We must manifest the heavenly, lofty thoughts of God in an earthly, practical way. It is not Christ like to have the knowledge of God and not evidence God through your Godlike interaction on earth. I must receive the word, but then I must reveal the Word through my physical practice.

And the Word becomes flesh again.

The Seven “Nesses” of Saul’s Rejection

King Saul’s story ended badly. Though gifted with the same position and opportunities as his famous successor, David, he was rejected and ruined. He was a failure as a king and became a waste of a man. You know you’ve messed up when God uses your life to teach what not to do.

If you read I Samuel 15 you’ll see why. God gave Saul a second chance at greatness by sending him to annihilate the Amelekites and all their possessions. Saul didn’t and thereby sealed his fate as a failure. These are the seven ‘nesses’ (states of being) that blocked Saul from success and greatness.

• Pettiness – He forsook the great things God had for him for a few sheep and bragging rights. This is the essence of the small-time thinking that off-sets our greatness.

• Covetousness – Good old greed, avarice, lust. The attitude of taking what does not belong to you is a fast track to a face on the ground situation. Saul is not the only one who failed because he took what belonged to God.

• Presumptuousness – Don’t presume your work is done until the one who told you to do it tells you well done. Especially in the realm of the spirit. When Saul came and told Samuel that he had kept the commandment of God it reminded me of those who convince themselves that they’ve got it going on, but they don’t. Self-congratulation from self-delusion is a setup for self-destruction.

• Faithlessness – Saul never believed in God’s Word. So even though God made promises, Saul thought he had to do it his way. Bad move. We should trust God for our success.

• Rebelliousness – Samuel said it’s like witchcraft. Submissiveness (rhymes with Jesus) is a vital quality of greatness. In the universe that God created, the meek shall inherit the earth. It is not admirable to be uncontrollable or unaccountable.

• Stubbornness – Greatness is ahead of you not behind you (if you’re facing in the right direction). God motivates or influences us to progress. Stubbornness causes us to resist God’s push or guidance to success.

• Vaingloriousness – Saul pleaded with Samuel to remain and worship with him so that he would not look rejected before the people. It is vanity to worship for looks. Sincere worship could have changed Saul’s situation. But sincerity wasn’t in him, so neither was success.

God wants to make us great. He gifts us with talents and opportunities, but we need to keep out of the way. Don’t let these ‘nesses’ offset what God wants to do with you.

WELCOME!!

That’s right, that’s right. I’m bloggin now. I’m cyber-space savvy, web capable and internet accessible. I’m verbin virtually, vibing vividly and versing vivaciously about the things that make you give thanks. Yup!! It’s me, David Wilson, the Brooklynite preacher, with another way of getting at you about the goodness of God. I’ve preached it, sung it, wrote it and taught it. Now I’m gonna blog it.

We’ll have a good time too. I don’t believe that you have to be boring to be biblical or solemn to be spiritual. I love to laugh. I love flavorful spiritual food. I’m a regular joy junky with the things of God. You need to laugh in (sometimes at) a world trying to beat you down.

Relevant revelation of the Word of God is my passion. It is my purpose to be biblical, interesting, exciting, and practical through this medium. I hope that any reader who comes this way will hear a word that will lift their spirits, give them hope and help them to see God working in their lives. I hope that if you are like-minded that you will stop by from time to time. Hear a word and share your thoughts. If you get enlightened or encouraged then spread the word.

Holla at a preacher when you come through.