Yes, I am revisiting Proverbs 13:4 again. This time with a different spin. My desires, what do I want to have accomplished? How? The verse says diligent, not lazy. I get that. Here is why I was struck. This quote:
Discipline is 'Making yourself do what you don't want to do in order to achieve what you want to achieve.' (supposedly from Tom Landry's book in p.279)
Diligence has to come from the the right motivation. And the right motivation has to be for the glory of our LORD Jesus Christ, not anything else. Anything else would be the wrong motivation, for a follower of Christ, that is. And motivation, comes from self discipline doesn't it? And this self discipline has to come from conviction and motive. If my motive is none other than to please someone else or myself, forget it. If my motive is to succeed in a worldly sense or get more money, forget it. Wrong motives! Where does my conviction lie? Is it through my own senses of failure? Or is it through the word of God that is speaking to me through the Spirit, telling me to obey? Telling me to change? Telling me to step up?
Through godly conviction and motives, self discipline, motivation, and diligence shall follow.
So what do I want? What is it that my heart so desires and yearns to achieve?
intimacy with the LORD
Hebrews 7:25; 10:22; 11:6, James 4:8
spiritual, mental and spiritual fitness
Luke 9:62, Romans 9:8, 1 Timothy 4:8
doing everything unto the LORD and not unto man
2 Chron 5:11-14; Psalm 115:1; Proverbs 25:2; Isaiah 24:15; Jer 13:16; 1 Cor 10:13;Col 3:23
I did not list them because all of them are number 1. That's all I want to achieve. I am also gaining wisdom from reading and studying Proverbs 30. The sayings of Agur. I will have to blog on that later.
LORD, bless my conviction and motives to better know you. Psalm 84, how lovely is Your dwelling place oh Lord!!! Better is one day in Your house!! Let my heart and flesh cry out to You! Let me seek You and find You. You are beautiful. Lord, I never have the right motives, I am human. Give me Your motives! Let me seek self discipline, motivation, and diligence and find these things because of You. Like Agur says, only give me my daily bread! I don't need anything but You. Help me surrender all things to You and know I cannot take any material thing from this world with me. May the Holy Spirit consecrate my children and may they desire the baptism from Your spirit so they may be anointed to do Your will. Open their spiritual eyes, ears, and hearts so they make seek You from their deepest parts of their souls. Thank You for Your sacrifice and grace. In Jesus' name, AMEN.
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bible. Show all posts
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Re-visitation
Frequent re-visitations are essential. What I mean is, when God is teaching something, go back and revisit it frequently, read it again, think about it again, pray about it again, examine your life against it again and again.
One of the heart issues I was revisiting tonight is what I had mentioned in the blog on Sept 5, 2012, just a couple of weeks ago. I wrote the verse I mentioned on the cover on my bible, and when it fades, I re-write it. I just rewrote it two nights ago actually.
I went on biblegateway, and I put different versions together and studied them. Click on this, this is what I had on my screen.
In the last block, the Chinese version, it says, "Lazy man admire from afar but can't ever achieve; those who put all their might into hard work are promised prosperity." Sounds like a Chinese proverb!! ;) It says what it means and means what it says. The word admire, gives a longing for whatever they try to achieve. Also, the second part gives "umph" to the hard work. It's like triple hard work. Then, the word promised, it's gives me a "wow, finally, satisfaction is here" feeling. I love this version and how I translated it, hahaha.
Now look at Holman Christian, the slacker, here, is someone who just mopes and sits around doing nothing, even though it sounds like he knows what he should be doing. Well, he gets nothing! The ones who are diligent are satisfied, whatever they need or want to accomplish.
How about ESV? I wonder if the original language had the word "pneuma" or what in it? It says soul. But, I get it. It's deeper. It's not about material. Not about things. As I blogged on Sept 5, I crave to have spiritual things done, and when I don't work hard to get them, my SOUL feels like failure, like confused, I feel unrest.
NASB is similar to ESV.... except for the word FAT at the end LOL made me think food instead. Maybe soul food. Food for the our eternal spirit. God's Word. Jesus did say, "Man does not live by bread alone." We shall grow spiritually with spiritually food.
NIV uses the word appetite. It made me think food right away too. Everyone has an appetite for either worldliness or godliness. We have to choose what to work hard at. If we choose worldliness, we will never be filled in spiritually. There will never be enough when we are lazy at working toward godliness. Ecc5:10
I have been working slowly towards discerning what God wants me to be doing VS my own wants. I want to have a good appetite for working towards the right things, not empty things that don't matter to Him. May all of us strive for a godly appetite for spiritual growth, and never give up desiring it with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
LORD, You are my God, continue to teach me through this verse. I can't get enough of You and what wisdom You have for me. Use me, humble me, teach me, direct me, help me to always glorify you in everything I do. Focus my eyes on You and what You have called me to do and who You have called me to be. Give me strength to not seek human praise and ignore human jeer, but to turn my gaze upon You. Thank You Lord for giving me abundant life I never dreamed I would have. Truly, You know what's best for me. In Jesus' name I pray to You. AMEN.
One of the heart issues I was revisiting tonight is what I had mentioned in the blog on Sept 5, 2012, just a couple of weeks ago. I wrote the verse I mentioned on the cover on my bible, and when it fades, I re-write it. I just rewrote it two nights ago actually.
I went on biblegateway, and I put different versions together and studied them. Click on this, this is what I had on my screen.
In the last block, the Chinese version, it says, "Lazy man admire from afar but can't ever achieve; those who put all their might into hard work are promised prosperity." Sounds like a Chinese proverb!! ;) It says what it means and means what it says. The word admire, gives a longing for whatever they try to achieve. Also, the second part gives "umph" to the hard work. It's like triple hard work. Then, the word promised, it's gives me a "wow, finally, satisfaction is here" feeling. I love this version and how I translated it, hahaha.
Now look at Holman Christian, the slacker, here, is someone who just mopes and sits around doing nothing, even though it sounds like he knows what he should be doing. Well, he gets nothing! The ones who are diligent are satisfied, whatever they need or want to accomplish.
How about ESV? I wonder if the original language had the word "pneuma" or what in it? It says soul. But, I get it. It's deeper. It's not about material. Not about things. As I blogged on Sept 5, I crave to have spiritual things done, and when I don't work hard to get them, my SOUL feels like failure, like confused, I feel unrest.
NASB is similar to ESV.... except for the word FAT at the end LOL made me think food instead. Maybe soul food. Food for the our eternal spirit. God's Word. Jesus did say, "Man does not live by bread alone." We shall grow spiritually with spiritually food.
NIV uses the word appetite. It made me think food right away too. Everyone has an appetite for either worldliness or godliness. We have to choose what to work hard at. If we choose worldliness, we will never be filled in spiritually. There will never be enough when we are lazy at working toward godliness. Ecc5:10
I have been working slowly towards discerning what God wants me to be doing VS my own wants. I want to have a good appetite for working towards the right things, not empty things that don't matter to Him. May all of us strive for a godly appetite for spiritual growth, and never give up desiring it with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
LORD, You are my God, continue to teach me through this verse. I can't get enough of You and what wisdom You have for me. Use me, humble me, teach me, direct me, help me to always glorify you in everything I do. Focus my eyes on You and what You have called me to do and who You have called me to be. Give me strength to not seek human praise and ignore human jeer, but to turn my gaze upon You. Thank You Lord for giving me abundant life I never dreamed I would have. Truly, You know what's best for me. In Jesus' name I pray to You. AMEN.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Satisfaction
Hey. I struggle with feeling like I'm failing all. the. time. I always have some excuse for myself to fail. You know my life verse? Proverbs 13:4. Perfect for me. "The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent is fully satisfied."
I have to be honest, I bend towards laziness. Growing up, I did nothing but sit in front of a TV or mope around daydreaming. Now that I am a new creation in Christ, when I am lazy, I also crave to get stuff done. I really do. I have this craving to be a godly mom and godly wife and I have a plan in my head.
I don't want to be the sluggard who just keeps having these cravings of what my life should be or who I should become or why I did not do something. If these godly desires don't get fully satisfied, my heart gets confused, defeated, deflated, and crushed!
FAILURE gets etched in my brain and heart when my negative feelings collide with my godly cravings.
When I read this verse, I am so convicted and motivated. It's written on the cover of my bible. I say it to myself before I go to sleep, because the second part of the verse is my goal. I want to be FULLY satisfied. That includes my spiritual walk with Jesus, housework, homeschooling, working out, being submissive... everything! The fruits of satisfaction pleases not only me, but my God.
LORD, Continue to teach me to do all things unto Your glory. AMEN.
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