TLEE's Daily Devotion for August {11,872 words}

In Proverbs 11:19, Solomon encouraged his readers to choose life over death and to choose a righteous lifestyle over an unrighteous one. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit, he wrote that living right leads to life and that living wrong leads to death. The Hebrew word for "pursues" in that verse means to ardently or zealously go after something and perhaps to even do so with reckless abandon. Solomon was writing that a person should never ardently or recklessly pursue evil. Because God is holy, He must turn away from those that choose to remain in their evil, wicked lifestyle. But He always draws near and stays close to those that come to Him in faith and try to live right. Psalm 5:4 says, "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell."

In Jeremiah 1:1-19, the Prophet Jeremiah recorded his calling into the ministry and some of his first visions from God. According to Jeremiah 1:2-3, his ministry began in the thirtieth year of Josiah, it continued through the reign of Jehoiakim, and it ended in the fifth month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah. In Jeremiah 1:5, God revealed to the prophet that he had been appointed to be a prophet even before he was born, and that verse is significant to Christians for at least four reasons.

First, the verse shows that God knows each person before he or she is born. Second, the verse shows that human life begins in the womb at conception rather than at birth. Early proponents of abortion once claimed that life begins at birth, but Jeremiah 1:5 clearly indicates otherwise. Third, the verse shows that God knew about the abortion issue of present times at the time that He raised up Jeremiah, so He had him put words into the Bible to show the fallacy and ungodly act of parents killing their own babies. Fourth, the verse shows God's complete control and commitment over and towards each human being that He creates, even before that human being has actually been birthed into this life.

In I Timothy 5:1-16 and Titus 2:1-8, the Apostle Paul wrote about showing proper respect to the elderly and about getting proper leadership from the elderly. In those passages, he had written to Timothy and Titus, respectively, to give them instructions about how the churches in Ephesus and Crete were to minister to their older saints. His primary concern in writing both letters was with how an aging population within the church could and would affect the overall work and ministry of those churches. Paul was a ministry-oriented individual, and seeing others come to the Lord was his primary motivation. He said that older saints deserved respect and that younger Christians should look up to them. But he also said that the older saints needed to live lives that were worthy of that respect and that they should be the right kinds of saints for those that are following behind.

When God told Abraham to leave his home and his roots behind, He led him to the land of Canaan. Abraham came to that new land as a foreigner, but because God had led him there, he made it his home. Abraham's journey, however, was not one of perfect faith or of absolute obedience. Genesis 15:7 and Nehemiah 9:7 say that God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, and Genesis 12:4 says that the Lord called him again out of Haran when he was seventy-five years old. Abraham's age during the first calling is not known, but the Bible shows that he had to be reminded a second time that God had a job for him to do.

A study of Abraham's life illustrates how his faith grew over time. During those early days, he did not have enough faith to fully trust God and continue on his journey to Canaan. About eleven years later, he did not fully trust God to give him a promised son, so he took matters into his own hands and had a son by Sarah's handmaiden. Twice, he lied to people and tried to pass his wife off as his sister so that he could protect his own skin. But over time, God continued to deal with him, and Abraham continued to grow spiritually.

Systematic theology categorizes and groups theological statements from all parts of the Bible, and it even uses non-biblical sources. Biblical theology, which is a subset of literary interpretation, deals with specific questions about a passage and tries to search for unifying principles and themes. Biblical theology allows for diversity by looking at different Books of the Bible while systematic theology studies biblical concepts and all available information.

An example where the principles of biblical theology apply is in the case of Saul being made king over Israel and then being rejected. In I Samuel 15:29, the author wrote that the Glory of Israel does not lie or change His mind, but I Samuel 15:35 says, "Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel." In I Samuel 15:26, the author again implied that God was sorry that He had made Saul the king, so those three verses appear to be contradictory. On the one hand, God does not change His mind, but on the other, He was sorry that He had made Saul the king.

What Jesus did on five of the first seven days of His earthly ministry was indicative of his entire ministry. On day one, in John 1:15-28, He delivered a message about the ministry of John the Baptist. John the Baptist was probably the most prominent Bible teacher of his times, and people came from all over to hear him preach. He did not perform any miracles, but one hundred and fifty years after he was gone, people were still trying to follow him and make him a central figure of worship. One reason that the Apostle John wrote about the Baptist was to defuse any late first century focus that might have still been directed at him. God had used John the Baptist mightily, but the Apostle John wanted to make sure that people understood how Jesus had viewed him.

On day two, in John 1:29-34, John the Baptist baptized Jesus, and he said that he saw the Spirit of God descend upon Him. On days three and four, in John 1:35-51, Jesus chose His first six disciples, and they were Andrew, John, Peter, James, Philip, and Nathanael. John 1:41 says, "The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ)." And John 1:45 says that Philip found Nathanael and told him. One can see that both Andrew and Philip had the right idea from the start, and they remained faithful witnesses of Christ throughout their lives. In John 1:35-37, Jesus’ first two disciples were also disciples of John the Baptist. Andrew was identified as one, but the other was not mentioned by name. The unnamed disciple in that verse was probably the Apostle John, and the reason that he did not mention himself by name was most likely because of a humbling incident that was recorded in Matthew 20:20-28. On day seven, in John 2:1-11, Jesus performed His first miracle by turning water into wine.

In Psalm 118:1-4, the psalmist gave praise to the Lord for all that He had done for him, and He expressed his gratitude for God's unfailing love. In Psalm 118:1, he told everyone to give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love, and in Psalm 118:2-4, he said to let Israel, the house of Aaron, and all that fear the Lord, respectively, proclaim that His love endures forever. David wrote, in Psalm 13:5, "But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation."

The Hebrew word used for love in the above verses also means mercy, and both of the psalmists were thankful that God is merciful to those that call upon Him. In fact, the salvation spoken of by David is only possible because of God's unfailing love and mercy towards humanity. Were He to require people to make their way to Him, no one would ever succeed. Romans 3:10-11 says, "As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.'" Romans 3:23 says that everyone has come short of pleasing God, and Romans 6:23 says that the penalty for one's sins is death. The Hebrew word used for death in Romans 6:23 does not mean cessation of life. It means separation, and it refers to the human soul as being eternally separated from God in a state of torment and agony.

Solomon wrote, in Proverbs 11:23, that the person with right motives sees good things happen but that the person with improper motives sees only wrath. He said that the desires of the righteous lead to good while the expectations of the wicked lead to anger and strife. In contrasting the motivations of each type of person, he was saying that, in the end, the Lord will bring down those that are wicked and that only those who seek Him will prosper.

In Proverbs 11:24-28, Solomon wrote about being generous when trying to help others. When people share what God has given them, then those things will come back to them, and they will have the Lord’s blessing upon their lives. When they try to help others, they will also be helped when their days of need are near. Proverbs 11:25 says, "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Many people trust in their riches, but according to Solomon, they would be wiser to put their hope and trust in the Lord. Withholding selfishly, hoarding this world’s riches, and ignoring the needs of others only lead to spiritual emptiness and poverty.

Jeremiah was a prophet that had been called by the Lord to prophesy to the people in Judah. After years of spiritual and moral decline, they were starting to depend upon their own ungodly sources for their spiritual well being. They had put false prophets over themselves, and they were letting themselves be led by priests that did not proclaim Scripture-based messages. Whenever people depart from sound biblical teachings and principles, they open themselves up for just about any kind of difficulty, deception, and decline, and those things were already happening in Judah. The people had put their confidence and hope in the apparent non-destructability of the Temple. They had started to practice their own assortment of religious rituals, and they had already raised up their own collection of idols to worship. In Jeremiah 7:1-29, the prophet preached to the people about the similar failings of their fathers, and he urged them to repent and return to the Lord. But they would not listen.

Paul wrote I Timothy, Chapter Six, to teach Christians about serving other Christians and about having the right spiritual attitude about money. While the tendancy might be for some employees to take advantage of a Christian boss, he said, in I Timothy 6:1-2, that Christian workers should serve their Christian employers even more zealously. In I Timothy 6:3-10, he added that an unhealthy appetite for money is not good and that many Christians have stumbled because of their pursuit of wealth. I Timothy 6:10 says, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

In John 16:5-16, when speaking to His disciples about His going away, Jesus knew that the Holy Spirit could not come until after He was gone. He had already begun speaking to them about the Holy Spirit's coming in John 14:15-31 and again in John 15:26-27, so in John 16:5-16, He was simply giving them more information about the futuristic event. In the Bible, important doctrines are sometimes revealed incrementally rather than all at once, and through that process, students of the Word can learn critical Bible doctrines in piecemeal fashion rather than being overwhelmed by too much at one time.

Concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told His disciples in John 14:16-17 that the Spirit would come from the Father because of Him, that He would be with them forever, and that He would be the Spirit of truth. In John 14:26, He told them that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things and that He would remind them of Jesus' words while He had been with them on earth. In John 14:18 and John 14:27, Jesus implied that the Holy Spirit would be like a companion to keep them from being alone and that He would be inside of them as their Provider of peace and confidence. In John 15:26-27, after having identified Himself as the true Vine, Jesus linked the work of the Holy Spirit with the work that He would also want the disciples to be doing.

In Isaiah 40:1-8, the prophet wrote prophetically about the ministry of John the Baptist and about John's announcement of the coming of the Lord. Matthew 3:1-2 says, "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.'" John's message was one of repentance, and the requirement for repentance was that the people were to make a straight path in the wilderness for God. A straight path would have made travel easier for an arriving dignitary, so Isaiah was, and John the Baptist would be, figuratively telling the people to clean up their lives and get back on the straight and narrow pathway of life.

Isaiah 40:4 talked about what the Lord would do after He arrived. That verse says, "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain." When Jesus was incarnated, He entered into a world of religious hypocrisy. The Pharisees and scribes, which were represented by the mountains and hills in the above verse, had lifted themselves up and perverted the true teachings of Scripture. Isaiah wrote that they would be made low and brought down to size. The common person, who was represented by the valley in the above verse, would be raised up and no longer suppressed under the thumbs of the religious hypocrites.

While on the cross dying for the sins of lost humanity, Jesus suffered terribly. The Romans were masters of cruelty and of inflicting pain, and they knew exactly how to drag out the ordeal of death by crucifixion. Matthew 27:45-50 records the last moments of Jesus incarnated life, and even under the worst conditions imaginable, He remained the Master Teacher. Many of the poor fools listening to Him during those moments thought that He was calling out to Elijah for help when He cried, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Many Christians since that day have looked back on those words and at that moment and thought that He was agonizing over having been rejected by a holy, righteous Father. But all of those people were and are very much mistaken if they view Jesus as some kind of weak, delusioned victim.

According to II Thessalonians 2:1-12, the Antichrist will be revealed just prior to the Great Tribulation but just after the Holy Spirit has been removed. He will be opposed to Christ, he will try to pass himself off as the substitute Christ, and initially, he will establish a covenant of peace with Israel. However, he will default on his agreement, align the nations against them, and then, lead an attack against the nation of Israel. At that time, Jesus will return and defeat him in the Battle of Armageddon.

During the Tribulation, there will be the seven Seal judgments, the one hundred and forty-four thousand people from the twelve tribes of Israel, the two witnesses, the blowing of the seven Trumpets, the battle of Gog and Magog, the seven Bowl judgments, and the Battle of Armageddon. There will be a Satanic Trinity, and the False Prophet, who is a member of that trinity, will be the religious leader. He will lead the counterfeit church, promote the worship of the Antichrist, and succeed in deceiving the unbelieving world. He will also have the power of death over those that refuse to worship the Beast, and he will have control over commerce and trade.

In Proverbs 12:1-4, Solomon wrote about the importance of seeking knowledge, righteousness, and virtue. He said that a love for discipline, or of being corrected when wrong, increases a person’s knowledge and godly wisdom. Proverbs 2:10-11 says, "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." Job 5:17 says, "Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty." According to Solomon, those that hate being corrected are stupid. Those that refuse the Lord’s correction do not desire to learn of Him or grow in Him. Proverbs 30:2-3 says, "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One."

In Deuteronomy 18:20-22, the Prophet Moses gave God’s rules for His prophets, and those rules were very stringent. When a person claimed to be delivering a prophecy from the Lord, then the prophecy had to come to pass, or the so-called prophet was in very serious trouble. Moses wrote that the false prophet had to be put to death, and in Jeremiah 28:1-17, that exact scenario actually happened.

The Prophet Jeremiah had just preached that judgment was coming to Judah because the people had been living in open immorality. Another so-called prophet, however, named Hananiah, son of Azzur, told the people that peace and deliverance were on the way. Jeremiah had gotten his message from the Lord, but Hananiah had only pretended to be God’s messenger. When confronted with that situation, Jeremiah told Hananiah in front of everyone that a prophet’s words will always come to pass because his or her words are from the Lord, and he was trying to make the point that both Hananiah and he could not be correct. Jeremiah had often stood alone against the false prophets of that time, and Christians today should also show the same high regard for truth. Too often, people are guided by either the popularity of the messenger or the popularity of the message.

In Acts 10:9-16, while waiting for his noontime meal, Peter fell into a trance and had an unusual vision. He saw a sheet dropping down from heaven and on that sheet were all sorts of animals. Because he was hungry, the point of the trance was related to the eating of those animals. In Leviticus 11:1-47, God had revealed through Moses a list of animals that were unclean and not good for food. Since the sheet that Peter saw contained many of those animals, he rejected the whole bundle and would not eat. In the verbal exchange that followed in Acts 10:15, God told him to not call unclean that which He had made clean.

Peter’s vision was about more that avoiding or not avoiding certain types of food. Under the Old Testament Law, some meats had been identified as unclean, but under Grace, they were no longer unclean. Under the Old Testament Law, the Gentiles had been thought of as unclean, but under Grace, they were no longer unclean, either. In Caesarea, there was a Roman Centurion, named Cornelius, who earnestly desired to know God personally, and the Lord was about to use Peter as His messenger to Cornelius and to his family and friends. How wonderful when a person has an earnest desire to know God and how wonderful when someone who knows Him is willing to be a messenger of God’s truth. The real solution to prejudice is not found within any kind of judicial system, but it can happen with the changed heart that comes from personally knowing the Lord.

In 1517, Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of the Castle church in Wittenberg, and that began the Protestant Reformation. Luther opposed the selling of indulgences by the church because he said that salvation and forgiveness of sins are free gifts from God through faith, not commodities that could be sold by the church. Thesis Twenty-one of his ninety-five says, "Therefore, those preachers of indulgences err who say that, by the Pope's indulgence, a man may be exempt from all punishments, and be saved." Thesis Thirty-two says, "On the way to eternal damnation are they and their teachers, who believe that they are sure of their salvation through indulgences." Thesis Thirty-five says, "He preaches like a heathen who teaches that those who will deliver souls out of Purgatory or buy indulgences do not need repentance and contrition."

In John 8:1-11, the chapter began by saying that the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees wanted to stone a woman that had been caught in the act of adultery. The chapter ended, in John 8:58, by saying that the Jews wanted to stone Jesus for claiming to have existed before Abraham. The chapter began by people wanting to stone the guilty, and it ended by them wanting to stone God's Son.

Interestingly, the man that had been guilty of adultery with the woman in John 8:1-11 was never identified, and that suggests that the entire event might have been a plot from the start to trick Jesus. It also suggests that the guilty man, and maybe even the woman, were in on the plot. Surely the Pharisees and the teachers would have known the man's identity since the two were caught in the act, but he was conveniently not mentioned. Because Jesus was and is omniscient, though, He knew what they were trying to do, and He also knew the identity of the guilty man. He understood that the case was a matter for the courts to settle, so He understood that the Pharisees and the teachers had orchestrated the whole situation for His benefit.

In biblical commentary, the modes of narration are direct, dramatic, descriptive, and commentary. Each one is a way to relate events, and the pace can be quick or slow. In the Former Prophets, which are the Books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, the authors wrote about the blessings that come from doing right and the curses that result from doing wrong. The name "Former Prophets" was given to the above Books in the Hebrew canon, and that name might have meant that the prophets wrote them, that they were written about the prophets, or that they contained the prophetic viewpoint. The prophetic viewpoint expressed the idea of a blessing for doing right and a curse for doing wrong, and that viewpoint was even prevalent during the writing of the Pentateuch.

When in a difficult situation, people sometimes like to open their Bible nonchalantely to whatever page comes up and then start reading as a way to get their direction from the Lord. But this type of Bible reading may not be very effective. Someone with good knowledge of the Scriptures can probably turn to a particular passage at random, read it, and then apply that passage with the proper, contextual meaning. However, if the person does have that degree of understanding, then he or she would probably be able to intentionally select the part of the Bible that they would want to apply. For example, most people familiar with the Bible could easily turn to the Psalms or the Proverbs without much effort, but doing so would take away the randomness of just opening the Bible and reading. In such cases, the person would have forced the result rather than earnestly striving to get an accurate message from the Lord.

In Proverbs 12:5, Solomon wrote that the plans of the righteous are just and that the advice of the wicked is deceitful. Righteous means to be vindicated by God, and a person can become righteous by turning to the Lord and trusting Him for the forgiveness of his or her sins. In Proverbs 12:6, Solomon wrote that the wicked tear down others by their words, but the upright and righteous lift them up. He was saying that the wrong use of words can do much harm, but God will overthrow the wicked and exalt the righteous. Psalm 7:8-10 says, "Let the Lord judge the peoples. Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High. O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure. My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart." Proverbs 10:2 says, "Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death."

Jeremiah 29:1-14 contains a very clear and very important prophecy that was declared by the Prophet Jeremiah. He had dedicated his life to preaching about the judgment coming to Judah, and that judgment had finally come. Jeremiah 29:1 says that King Nebuchnezzar had taken the Israelites into captivity back to Babylon, so they had been removed from their land. To many, the consequence of captivity was very troubling. But in the midst of their trouble, God spoke through Jeremiah to give His people some important promises.

In Jeremiah 29:4-7, Jeremiah told the people to build houses and settle down in Babylon, to have a lot of children while there, and to do their best to make Babylon a prosperous city. In Jeremiah 29:7, he said, "Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." In Jeremiah 29:10, God told them, through Jeremiah, that their captivity would only last for seventy years, and even though that was a very long time, some people would survive and return back to Judah.

In Genesis 6:5-13, Moses wrote about the high level of corruptness and violence that existed during Noah’s time. God had looked at the people of His Creation and had seen that they were very corrupt. Today, He is looking at this world and probably feeling many of those same negative anxieties. During Noah’s time, He sent the Great Flood, causing it to rain for forty days and forty nights, and He wiped out all the life on earth, except for Noah, his family, and the animals on the Ark. Many Christians today might look at the declining state of affairs in the world and cling to the truth of Matthew 24:37-39, which says that the Lord will soon return to set up His Millennial Kingdom. But instead of returning to set up His kingdom, it may be that God will delay His return and once again simply choose to judge the evil behavior of some specific nations.

The Apostle John used four titles of deity for the Holy Spirit in his Gospel. First, he used the word "Spirit" throughout to express the Holy Spirit. In John 1:32, he wrote about the Spirit and said that He, appearing like a dove, descended upon Jesus at His water Baptism. In John 3:34, the word "Spirit" was used, and Dr. Henry Thiessen wrote that the Holy Spirit was equipping Jesus for His Messianic ministry. Thirteen other times, the Apostle John used the word "Spirit," and each time, it was used as a title for the Holy Spirit.

In addition to using that word to express the Holy Spirit's deity, he also used Holy Ghost to identify the Holy Spirit in John 1:33, John 7:39, John 14:26, and John 20:22. Four times, in John 14:16, John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7, he used the descriptive title, Comforter, for the Holy Spirit, and three times, in John 14:17, John 15:26, and John 16:13, he used the descriptive title, Spirit of truth to identify the Holy Spirit. Based on those titles, one can conclude that the Holy Spirit is both holy and spirit. Based on His personality traits, He is a Person, He is a Comforter, and He is the Spirit of truth. In terms of His responsibilities, He helps Christians through their difficulties, and He teaches them what they need to know to serve the Lord.

According to the Apostle Paul, all Christians receive spiritual gifts, but not all Christians receive the same gifts. I Corinthians 12:4-6 says, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men." I Corinthians 12:8-10 mentions that one person is given the message of wisdom, to another the wisdom of knowledge, and to others the separate gifts of faith, healing, having miraculous powers, prophesying, distinguishing between the spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpreting tongues. Those verses clearly suggest that different people receive different gifts, and nothing in them suggests that one person will receive every gift. The Greek word used for "another" was "heteros", and that word means the other, another, or other.

Luke, the medical doctor and traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Sometimes, the Gospel of Luke is described as the second gospel written, and other times, it is described as the third. The Apostle Matthew wrote the Gospel of Matthew, which was the first gospel written, to meet the historical needs of the Jewish people, and he tried to present Jesus as the King of the Jews. John Mark wrote the Gospel of Mark so that it could serve as a brief account of Jesus' life for the Romans, and Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke, probably around 60AD, so that the Greeks could have a personalized account of Jesus' life. To write his gospel, Luke depended on the oral tradition of witnesses and on the verbal inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He wrote the Acts of the Apostles, probably around 62AD, so that the Greeks would also have an authoritative account of the early church, of the works of the original eleven Apostles, and of the works of the Apostle Paul.

Acts 2:42 says that the members of the first local church continued in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and that meant that they were placing themselves under the discipline and direction of the soon-to-be-written Word of God. In his commentary on the Book of Acts, Dr. Oliver B. Greene wrote that "they followed the apostles’ teaching and instruction, obeying the Word of God as the apostles taught them day by day and from house to house." Dr. Greene also pointed out that the word "fellowship" in Acts 2:42 was often translated "communion," which meant that, while the early Christians did not always agree on each minor doctrine of the Christian Faith, they did hold themselves together in fellowship. They did not always agree on every little thing, but they did always agree on the inspiration of the Scriptures, the deity of Christ, the blood atonement, salvation by grace, and the Second Coming of Jesus. Today, local church members must also stay in fellowship with one another and place themselves under the discipline and direction of the Word of God if they want to be part of the true Church.

The lessons of Proverbs 12:11-16 are that working hard and being open to sound, biblical counseling are important. In Proverbs 12:11, in talking about the person who works his or her land, Solomon was teaching a clear work ethic. People should not be given everything because they will appreciate most those things for which they have worked the hardest. Hard work increases one’s degree of satisfaction and also one’s gratitude for the little things. In Proverbs 12:12, he wrote about the unhealthy desires of the wicked person. He said that the root of the righteous would flourish but that wicked people will only desire what other wicked people have already taken. Matthew Henry said, "When the ungodly see others prosper by sin, they wish they could act in the same way. But the root of Divine grace, in the heart of the righteous, produces other desires and purposes."

Evil, foolish people envy each other, but that kind of emotion usually produces strife and disharmony. Proverbs 20:3 says, "It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel." Proverbs 12:13 says that his or her own foolish tongue will trap the foolish person but that righteous people are saved from trouble. In Proverbs 12:14, Solomon said that a person would be satisfied if he or she worked hard, lived right, and spoke right. Then, in Proverbs 12:15-16, he compared the attitudes of wise and foolish people. A foolish person, even to the point of being arrogant, will think that his or her way is always correct, but the wise person will quickly listen to and accept the sound advice of others. Foolish people are quick tempered, but the prudent, wise person will be patient, even to the point of overlooking insults.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the lesson is that a person can trust God to keep His promises in all situations, no matter how desperate the situation. The mark of a spiritual, mature Christian is being able to trust life’s most difficult and most challenging circumstances to the Lord no matter what, but having that kind of faith can be very tough even for the most mature person in Christ. In Jeremiah 31:31-34, the Prophet Jeremiah had written to the nation of Israel to tell them about a new covenant that God would establish with them. In Jeremiah 32:1-15, he told them about the seventy years of captivity that they would have in Babylon. The conclusion was that God kept His promise about the captivity in Babylon and that He would also keep His promises concerning the new covenant. Under their new covenant, Jeremiah wrote, in Jeremiah 31:34, that everyone would know the Lord and that He would forget all of their sins.

Proverbs 20:1 and Proverbs 23:29-35 advise people to stay away from drugs and alcohol. While many people might drink some alcoholic beverages and some people might drink a lot, Philippians 4:5 says, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." I Timothy 3:2 says that those that oversee the church should be temperate. I Timothy 3:3 says that they should not be given to drunkenness. I Timothy 3:8 says that deacons should not indulge in much wine. I Timothy 3:11 says that their wives should be temperate, and Titus 2:2 says that the older men in the church should also be temperate.

The above verses clearly teach that Christians, at most, should only have an occasional alcoholic beverage, and they may even teach that Christians should abstain altogether. Certainly, those that name Christ as Savior should not require the elated feelings that come from alcoholic beverages, but their high should instead be from their relationship with the Lord and from serving Him. At the same time, though, the above verses also do not seem to explicitly prohibit the occasional drink, either. In John 2:1-11, Jesus attended a marriage banquet, and while there, He turned water into wine. The Greek word used for wine throughout those verses was 'oinos', and it could have meant either fermented or unfermented wine. Therefore, the water that Jesus turned into wine was possibly very good, very high quality wine, but it also could have been nothing more than very, very good grapejuice.