Two Keys For Success – Proverbs 3:9-10,13-14,16

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keystosuccess“Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest; then your barns will be completely filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine…Happy is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her revenue is better than gold…Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches and honor” (Proverbs 3:9-10,13-14,16, HCSB).

Contained in the sagacious advice of Proverbs 3 are two keys for success.

The first key for success concerns how you handle your finances. Before you spend any of your income, first give to God. If you don’t know how much to give, then a tithe or 10% is a good starting place.

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Traveling the Straight Path of Life – Proverbs 3:5-6

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PathofLife“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV).

This saying from the book of Proverbs is a well-known and oft-quoted Bible memory verse.

Most teaching and preaching focuses on verse 5 about trusting in the Lord rather than one’s self.

But, what’s most interesting to me is the straight paths metaphor presented in verse 6.

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A Perverse Salvation – Mark 15:15

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PassionMovie_JesusOnCross“So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.” (Mark 15:15 NLT).

Why was it necessary for Jesus not only to suffer an agonizing death, but to have severe cruelty and indignity inflicted upon Him?

In addition to being flogged with a lead-tipped whip by Pilate’s order, Jesus was also:

The Prayer of the Grief-Stricken – Mark 14:32-36

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gethsemane-image-of-Jesus-praying“Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and He told His disciples, ‘Sit here while I pray.’ He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be deeply distressed and horrified. Then He said to them, ‘My soul is swallowed up in sorrow—to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.’ Then He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, ‘Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:32-36, HCSB).

If the Transfiguration revealed Jesus’s divine nature, then Gethsemane revealed His humanity.

A lot of theological interpretations and explanations have been offered for the anguish expressed by Jesus at Gethsemane. Certainly He was about to bear the sins of all humanity–past, present, and future–and it was a horrific proposition!

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A Little Respect – Psalm 147:11

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got_respect“The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love” (Psalm 147:11, HCSB).

In a classic pop song from the late 1960’s, Aretha Franklin demanded some respect from her man: “All I’m asking is for a little respect…”

I have two toddlers that I am trying to teach to mind me, to be respectful by doing what I ask them to do (or not do). We still have a ways to go and I suspect that we will probably be working on it for years to come!

Why do parents spend so much time, even years, training their children to be obedient and respectful?

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A Present and Future Kingdom – Psalm 145:11-13

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kingdom_of_God“They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom and will declare Your might, informing all people of Your mighty acts and of the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; Your rule is for all generations” (Psalm 145:11-13, HCSB).

The creative and redemptive activity of God in His universe is so inexplicable that we have to rely on figures of speech to communicate it. One of the figures of speech used to describe the reality of God’s rule and reign over the universe is to describe it as a “kingdom.”

A kingdom is a form of government. In the kingdom metaphor God is portrayed as a merciful monarch who loves the subjects of His Kingdom and solicits them to come under His loving care and righteous government. In God’s Kingdom He is both a Sovereign King and a Benevolent King.

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Powerless! – Mark 12:24-25

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powerless“Jesus replied, Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven” (Mark 12:24-25, NLT).

The Sadducees based their views on the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament, and they were fond of debating about Jewish religious teachings. They didn’t believe in the resurrection from the dead and so they asked Jesus a question about resurrection and framed it as a question about marriage.

Jesus recognized their hypocrisy and addressed their real question directly from the very Scriptures they purported to believe.

But, Jesus prefaced His remarks with this piercing accusation: You don’t know the Scriptures and so you don’t know the power of God!

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The Steve Show – Luke 9:23-24

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Steve-Star_Of_The_Steve_Show“And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it” (Luke 9:23-24, NASB).

I’ve got a show going on.

I call it The Steve Show.

As you might imagine, I’m the star of The Steve Show. I produce and direct my own show. And, I follow the script that I wrote for my show.

The Steve Show. It’s all about me!

You can watch The Steve Show. It’s on all the time. Just watch me!

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When Faith Doesn’t Heal – Mark 10:52

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mountain-moving-faith“‘Go your way,’ Jesus told him. ‘Your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he could see and began to follow Him on the road” (Mark 10:52, HCSB).

This verse is the conclusion to the familiar story of blind Bartimaeus. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem accompanied by a large entourage of people. He had just left Jericho when He passed by Bartimaeus, a blind beggar sitting by the road.

When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was passing by, he began to cry out: “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!”

Bartimaeus was pleading so loudly that people told him to keep quiet, but he just cried out for Jesus all the more.

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Taking Matters Into Your Own Hands – Leviticus 24:12

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MattersInOwnHands“They kept the man in custody until the Lord’s will in the matter should become clear to them.” (Leviticus 24:12, NLT).

During their wilderness wandering, the Israelites took a man into custody who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father. He had been in a fight with an Israelite man and during the fight, the man with the Egyptian father blasphemed God.

When this happened, the Israelites took him into custody and brought him to Moses for judgment. While Moses was waiting to hear from the Lord about the matter, they held him in custody without harming him, not taking matters into their own hands.

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