Liz Curtis Higgs's Blog, page 13

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #38 Term of Endearment

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Straight-up honest? I love the Lord and his Word. But it’s taken me all week—okay, more like thirty years—to get excited about this passage.

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,

    and do not resent his rebuke,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

    as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11 and 12

Why the struggle? Not because I’m a daughter instead of a son. I know God’s truths are for all his children.

Is it all those negative words? Despise, resent, rebuke? Not really. Love and delight are in there too.

No, what made me bristle is a word that’s used twice: discipline.

The main point of the proverb. Something I need but almost never want.

Then God showed me that his discipline is another word for his love.

Oh.

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My son,…

A term of endearment meant for us all. Right from the start, God expresses his deep and abiding affection for us. Listen, “my child” (CEV). This is for you, “dear friend” (MSG).

When we’ve failed in some way—big or small—our Heavenly Father promises we won’t be neglected or abandoned or forgotten. He is with us and loves us. Always.

…do not despise…

Imagine the Lord holding your hand, tugging you close, whispering these words in your ear. “Don’t sulk” (MSG), he says gently. Don’t “shrink” (AMP) or “turn away” (CEV).

He knows us so well. Correction is never fun. Pulling away is a natural instinct. But God wants us close by his side, so he can show us why this process—this painful, humbling, often difficult process—is for our ultimate good.

Lee Ann, who chose this week’s passage, confessed, “These verses mean a lot to me because I’ve needed his discipline so often.”

We’re right there with you, sister.

…the Lord’s discipline,…

If his “chastening” (ASV) isn’t a spanking, a time out, or an assignment to write the same sentence 500 times on a blackboard, then what does God’s kind of discipline look like?

Sometimes it looks like Wait. Sometimes it looks like No. Most of the time it looks like “training” (NIRV) or “instruction” (CEB) or “teaching” (WYC). God the Father kneeling beside us, showing us how to live according to his will.

Discipline isn’t something negative. It’s something positive.

Knowledge. Education. Wisdom. Good stuff.

Yes, it means we need to stop marching solely to the beat of our own drum. That’s the hard part. But staying close to him and experiencing “his loving correction” (MSG)? That’s the satisfying part.

…and do not resent his rebuke,…

Sulking is usually short-lived, but resentment can last a lifetime. That’s why God cautions us not to become “bitter” (CEV) or “impatient” (AMP) or “angry” (ERV). Such things grow inside us like malignant cells, slowly destroying our joy.

His “correction” (CEB) is meant to serve as a “warning” (GW). Think of the back-up camera systems in vehicles that alert the driver, “Stop! There’s something behind you.” When God corrects us, that’s what he’s doing. Keeping us from hurting ourselves and others. Making sure we’re safe—physically, emotionally, spiritually.

So, beloved, “do not give up when He tells you what you must do” (NLV). Instead, picture him holding you, guiding you, loving you. The best parent, on his or her best day, cannot come close to what our Heavenly Father does for us all day, every day.

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…because the Lord disciplines those he loves,…

There it is: the reason why God “reproves” (ESV) and “corrects” (AMP) and “trains” (NIRV) his children, no matter how mature we may think we are. It’s “proof of his love” (TLB). It assures us we belong to him.

When a toddler is mastering a new skill—say, eating with a spoon—the whole messy process could be avoided if Mom just continued spooning in each mouthful. But that’s not the loving thing to do.

The loving thing is to give a child the right tools, then eat with her, side by side. Show her by example. Patiently correct the way she holds the spoon. Let her try again and again. Make certain she doesn’t spoon in too much at once. Chase after the spoon when she flings it across the kitchen.

For those of us who are prone to flinging spoons out of sheer frustration, here’s good news: God is still in the kitchen, waiting to teach us. He never gives up. He never lets go. He never stops delighting in his children.

Bonnie also chose this as her favorite passage. “I love knowing that He ‘delights’ in me, and ‘corrects’ by allowing me to make those mistakes that instruct and draw me closer to Him.”

…as a father the son he delights in.

Years ago, when I was trying to help our son with his homework, I finally ran out of patience and said more loudly than I meant to, “Do you know why I’m pushing so hard?”

Matt’s little shoulders drooped. “Because you want me to get a good grade.”

“No, sweetie.” I hugged him, then whispered into the curve of his ear, “Because I love you.”

So the truth. God doesn’t care about our grades. He cares about us.

When God parks us in a waiting room, or nudges us to make amends, or pinches our conscience until our attitude improves, we’ll remember that “a father’s delight is behind all this” (MSG), and we are the Lord’s “pride and joy” (VOICE).

I’m (finally) excited about this passage. How about you?

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,

    and do not resent his rebuke,

because the Lord disciplines those he loves,

    as a father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12

Now it’s your turn

What does God’s discipline look like to you?

I’m eager to hear your take on this. It means so much when you take a moment to Post a Comment below.

Your Printable of Proverbs 3:11-12 will take just a few seconds to download. And look for this week’s pin on Pinterest.

Can’t believe the joy of Palm Sunday is right around the corner! “They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” (John 12:13).

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

 

P.S. If Billings, Montana or Columbus, Ohio is where you call home, consider joining me this spring for the Women of Faith Survival to Revival Tour 2014. I would love to have the honor of encouraging you in person!

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #39 Good Fruit

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Last week’s imposing fortress walls give way to this week’s soft spring blossoms.

A reminder that God can be both powerful and gentle, terrifying and tender. The same God who moves mountains and oceans also moves in our hearts—changing us, rearranging us, molding us into the image of his Son.

Time for a stroll through our garden, memorizing one of your favorite verses with each step.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

    and the one who is wise saves lives. Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous…

Interesting thing about fruit. God created “fruit with seed in it” (Genesis 1:11), then “saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:12), and just the thing “for food” (Genesis 1:29).

In the middle of God’s garden stood two particular trees: “the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). God warned his children to “not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). But Eve and Adam didn’t listen. She took, she ate, she gave, then he ate (Genesis 3:6).

Hard to admit how often we make the same mistake.

The minute God says, “Don’t,” we snap back, “Done!”

Once Adam and Eve tasted the fruit from the forbidden tree, they couldn’t eat from the tree of life, or they would “live forever” (Genesis 3:22), separated from God.

Only the righteous—“those who are right with God” (NLV)—can freely enjoy that fruit, the promise of eternal life. Because of God’s grace alone, we are righteous. Because of his Son, “the seeds of good deeds” (NLT) are planted in us and bear fruit.

We can only “live right” (CEV) if Christ lives in us. “The fruit that godly people bear” (NIRV) is wholly dependent on God, not on our meager gardening abilities.

With everything beginning to bloom this month, we’re reminded of how little we’ve done—basically, pushed seeds into the ground—and how much God has done. He created the seeds and the soil, watered them with rain, bathed them with sunlight, then coaxed the first green shoots through the remains of last autumn’s mulch.

Always God. Only God. All God.

Because of his loving-kindness, God plants his righteousness inside us until a bold, new life breaks through.

…is a tree of life,…

So, what does this “tree that bears life-giving fruit” (TLB) look like?

Like a mother who reads a children’s Bible to the little one squirming in her lap because she knows the Word contains Truth and Life.
Like a father who hoes and weeds a garden with his son or daughter by his side, teaching them the biblical principles of seed time and harvest.
Like a coworker who loves God and communicates that love daily to everyone who crosses her path.
Like a friend who cares about what you care about and believes “a good person gives life to others” (NCV).
Like a senior saint who continues to teach Sunday school or collect the offering or greet newcomers, standing on the promise, “They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green” (Psalm 92:14).

Good fruit comes from good trees, and good trees come from good fruit.

“The tree of life grows where the fruit of right-living falls” (VOICE). If we manage to do something right (oh my!), it may come as a surprise to us, but it’s never a surprise to God. He plants, waters, and nurtures us with his Word. In due season, something beautiful finally appears.

…and the one who is wise…

That’s the book of Proverbs for you. It’s all about gaining wisdom—wisdom from God and wisdom about God. Not so we can be a wise guy, but because when we “act wisely, others will follow” (CEV).

Beth, who chose this verse as her favorite, wrote, “I want to extend the life that Christ has given me to others.” Right. That’s wisdom in action. Handed out, not hoarded.

Beth is clearly not a new seedling, tethered to a stake. She is mature in her faith, “like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season” (Psalm 1:3). She’s who we want to be when we grow up.

God calls us not only to bloom where we’re planted, but also to bloom where we’ve been transplanted for the sake of others.

Grow here, beloved. I prepared this soil especially for you.

…saves lives.

If you’ve had the honor of watching someone step into God’s Kingdom, then you know why “those who are wise give new life to others” (ERV). The truth is, we don’t lead people to Christ. He draws them to himself while we cheer from the sidelines.

There is nothing more thrilling, nothing more glorious than seeing the first glimmer of grace transform someone’s face.

No wonder God calls wise the person who “wins souls” (CJB), who “teaches others how to live” (NCV), who shows them how “to do what is right” (NIRV).

The Hebrew word used here is nephesh, meaning “a soul, a living being.” That person who hasn’t met Jesus yet? Think of them as a soul who needs to be loved, not merely a sinner who needs to be sorry.

We reach out not only to the lost who’ve not yet found their way home, but also to believers who’ve drifted off to the far country and are desperate to return.

“My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

Who knew this week’s proverb would send us forth into gardens and fields and backyards and orchards? Into places called School and Work and Home and Starbucks?

God knew. He’s already there, waiting for us to join him. Eager for us to bloom.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

    and the one who is wise saves lives. Proverbs 11:30

Now it’s your turn

What has God planted inside you that’s ready to bear fruit this season?

Please respond via Post a Comment below. Your words will surely encourage us all. Our Printable of Proverbs 11:30 takes just a moment to load. And this week’s pin on Pinterest is quite…refreshing!

Now that April is here, Easter draws near. So thankful to celebrate this sacred season with you.

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. Bless you for considering adding Mercy Like Sunlight to your spring reading list. “This novella is captivating and delightful and the perfect read for the Lenten season.”

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #40 Surrender

Every mom has her pet phrases, especially when patience is in short supply. One of my mother’s was, “You think you’re so smart.” Once (and only once) I shot back, “But I thought you wanted me to be smart!”

Yeah, I was that kid. Maybe you were too.

Miss Smarty Pants. Little Mister Know-It-All. Too clever for our own good. A living, breathing example of “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child” (Proverbs 22:15 KJV).

Problem is, I never completely outgrew that attitude. I just learned how to hide it.

I (usually) say the right words and do the right things, but inside lurks a headstrong child who still on occasion stamps her foot and says, “I’d rather do it myself!”

For all of us who secretly think that we’re pretty smart, that we know what we’re doing, that we can manage things ourselves, God has a word for us this week.

Lay down your weapons. You are not going to win. Not until you surrender.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan

    that can succeed against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

There is no wisdom,…

To be clear, “no human wisdom” (NLT) can match God’s wisdom. No person is “wise enough” (ERV) to go toe-to-toe with our Creator.

God is all wise, all seeing, all knowing, and all loving.

Us? We’re a mess.

Seldom wise, blind to truth, knowing little, and loving only when it suits us.

These Scottish castle walls remind us of what we’re up against: a God whose timeless wisdom is like a fortress. Imposing. Impregnable. And impossible to ignore.

…no insight,…

“No understanding” (ASV) or “discernment” (CJB) can scale the heights of God’s wisdom. Despite our best efforts to work things out apart from God, “no prudence” (DRA) or “wise saying” (NIRV) can topple over his ageless truth.

“Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law?

Where is the philosopher of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” 1 Corinthians 1:20

The fact is, “No one, regardless of how shrewd or well-advised he is, can stand against the Lord” (TLB).

We keep trying, of course. “But Lord, I can’t wait any longer. I don’t want to do things your way. Isn’t my idea a good one?”

…no plan…

No, that’s not a good idea. Sorry. ”Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived” (MSG) will cut it unless God is in it.

Whatever “advice” (NCV) or “counsel” (ASV) we seek, however much plotting and planning we do, God’s wisdom will prevail. “Human wisdom, brilliance, insight—they are of no help” (GNT).

Sounding good and being good are not the same thing. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight” (1 Corinthians 3:19).

You and I can spend twelve years going to school, perhaps another four years attending college, even three more years seeking a master’s degree. Yet all our higher education, all our worldly knowledge cannot hold a candle in a castle courtyard to God’s good and perfect will, fully revealed in his Word and through his Holy Spirit.

Sometimes when we say, “I’m seeking God’s will,” what we really mean is, “I’m looking for a second opinion.”

Despite our best efforts, “no plan is good enough to stand up to the Eternal” (VOICE). Still, we keep forging ahead, determined to make things happen according to our own plans.

But instead of carrying an ironclad shield of faith, we’re gripping a cardboard box and waving a plastic sword.

Have fun storming the castle.

…that can succeed against the Lord.

To be honest, “succeed” (EXB) or “prevail” (AMP) isn’t really there in the original Hebrew. All we get is neged, meaning “in front of, in sight of.” So, when we stand opposite him—on our own side instead of on his side—when we come “over-against Jehovah” (YLT), it’s a guaranteed Fail.

We can’t “defeat the Lord” (CEV), and we’re never going to “get the better of God” (MSG). The sooner we accept that reality and surrender, the sooner we can live at peace with him—safely dwelling inside the castle, instead of rattling the iron portcullis or drowning in the watery moat outside the castle.

God wants us with him for eternity. That’s his plan, beloved. The best of all plans.

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Psalm 33:11

Here is the hope we’ve been longing for:

His Son is the bridge that carries us inside the castle walls.

Formed of the same stone. Strong enough to bear our burdens.

And no siege engine, no cannon, no steel can tear that mighty bridge down.

There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan

    that can succeed against the Lord. Proverbs 21:30

Now it’s your turn

Even living inside the castle walls, we may still harbor rebellious thoughts. What is God asking you to surrender this day?

Please respond via Post a Comment below. You can be sure I read each one, responding whenever I can and rejoicing each time you comfort and encourage one another.

Here is your Printable of Proverbs 21:30 (thanks for your patience as it loads). The dozen verses we’ve studied so far also await you on Pinterest.

Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am for you?

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. Here’s what readers are saying about my new novella, Mercy Like Sunlight, on Amazon and Barnes&Noble. I hope you’ll enjoy Mary Margaret Delaney’s story too.

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #41 When Less Is More

What do you want more of in your life? And what do you want less of?

If we wrote it all down, we’d probably need a ton of paper.

God needs just fourteen words. Eight in Hebrew. Four, if we leave out all the little bits.

Of course, I never leave anything out. Not when God reveals himself in each letter, word, and phrase. Not when they all add up to this resounding, astounding truth: he knows us, he loves us, and he wants what is best for us.

Here’s the thing: sometimes, best means less.

Better a little with the fear of the Lord

    than great wealth with turmoil. Proverbs 15:16

Better a little…

Uh-oh. “Better to live with less” (VOICE) is not what our culture teaches us. In fact, “better to have little” (NLT) is the very opposite of what comes blaring out of our television sets or scrolling across our computer screens.

Instead, we hear, “Life is better with more. More money to buy more things to look more attractive to have more status to gain more attention to make more money to buy more things…”

This cycle isn’t just vicious, beloved. It’s dangerous. It’s deadly.

It’s everything the Lord doesn’t want for us.

He knows that riches, possessions, good looks, privilege, and fame are fleeting at best, and worthless in light of eternity.

So, he urges us to lead “a simple life” (MSG), free from striving after more, more, more. He assures us “it is better to be poor” (ERV) than to choke on the riches of this world.

The truth? What I’m writing here and what I’m living now aren’t remotely in sync.

The truth? I love more. My home, my body, and my calendar are living proof.

Even now, as my fingers move across the keyboard, God is pressing on my heart. His words are loving, but they are not subtle.

It’s not enough for you to read my Word.

When are you going to live my Word?

I desperately want to say, “Now, God.” But what comes out is, “How, God? How do I—how do all of us—stop wanting more?”

His answer is swift and sure: “How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18). That’s more, all right. It covers everything.

His love is more than enough.

His grace is more than sufficient.

His mercy is more than we deserve.

His power is more than we can imagine.

His loving-kindness makes a change of heart and a change of how possible.

The Hebrew word translated here as better means “beautiful, pleasant agreeable.” God has something better for us, something beautiful, something more. Our little becomes much as we see him high and lifted up.

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…with the fear of the Lord…

When we’re scared, we run, we hide, we look the other way.

That’s not what God wants.

He wants us to run toward him, to fix our eyes on him, to be overwhelmed by his beauty. To whisper in amazement, “Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). To worship him with our lives and honor him with our obedience.

When we experience a “reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord” (AMP), when we “respect” (ERV) his Word and “honor the Eternal” (VOICE), it’s easier to sort out our selfish wants from our genuine needs. Our more from our less.

“Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). He is more than worthy of our praise. He is more than due our adoration.

God deserves to be first. Above things. Above people. Above all.

…than great wealth…

So, is money on your “What I Want More Of” list? God understands. We need a certain amount of fundage just to feed, clothe, and shelter those we love. Proverbs 15:16 says, “better to have a little” (GW), not “better to have nothing.”

It’s great wealth he is cautioning us about—living “a rich life” (MSG) and counting on our “treasure” (AMP) to make us happy. The Lord knows better. We know better.

The same televisions that urge us to buy more, more, more also show us news stories of the rich and famous who are utterly miserable. Wealth can solve a few day-to-day problems, but it’s a poor salve for heartache or disappointment.

“Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11).

Yes, we’ve been there.

The inheritance money that turned siblings into enemies.

The full bank account that couldn’t make up for an empty life.

The new job with better pay that ended up costing far too much.

…with turmoil.

Call it “inner turmoil” (NLT) or “tumult” (YLT) or just plain “trouble” (ASV), no one wants it. A big house, a fine ride, and a closet full of designer clothes are no prize when they’re “coupled with worry” (CJB) and produce “a ton of headaches” (MSG).

We usually think we’ll be the exception. If a fortune came my way, I’d know how to spend it wisely. Then the money appears, and our best intentions go right out the window.

Help, Lord.

He’s helping. Right here, in this verse. Giving us a heads-up, sparing us discovering that when we chase after riches we’ll have to “carry the burdens that come with them” (VOICE). Showing us the truth: “It’s better to obey the Lord than to be very rich and terribly confused” (CEV).

We’re listening, Lord. Truly, we are.

We’ve chased after the wrong things long enough.

We know what it means to feel “unfillable” (WYC).

We’d rather be filled with awestruck wonder.

We’d rather be filled with you.

Better a little with the fear of the Lord

    than great wealth with turmoil. Proverbs 15:16

Now it’s your turn

What do you want more of in your life?
And what do you want less of?

Kindly respond via Post a Comment below. I’m continuing to pray through your many tender comments from last week’s study. It means so much when you share what’s on your heart.

For those who are memorizing each verse (so proud of you), or who like posting them where you can see them, here’s your Printable of Proverbs 15:16 (bless you for your patience as it downloads). The dozen verses we’ve studied so far also await you on Pinterest.

Sending warm thoughts your way this Wednesday.

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. Thanks for celebrating the release of Mercy Like Sunlight with me this week!

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #42 Worth the Wait

When someone says, “I have good news and bad news,” which do you want to hear first? I usually vote for the bad news, thinking it’s better to get it over with and end on a happier note.

(You could also make a solid case for starting with the good news, so you can handle whatever follows…)

In this week’s proverb, the hard truth comes first. Hope seems almost lost. Our hearts are nearly broken. Then, in the fullness of time, according to God’s plan, good news. No, great news.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred…

It’s been a hard winter for many of us. Not just the endless snow and ice, not just the frigid temperatures and high heating bills. It’s also been a season of job hunts that lead nowhere and health challenges that aren’t improving and family issues that won’t go away.

Our Lord Jesus understands what “unrelenting disappointment” (MSG) feels like and “delayed hope” (GW) looks like. He knows that “not getting what you want” (CEV) is frustrating and discouraging. He realizes that when hope is “postponed” (VOICE), “prolonged” (YLT), or “put off” (NIRV), we need something to hang on to.

Something bigger than hope.

Something deeper than desire.

Something immovable. Something sure.

So, the Lord wants us to hang on to him. That’s what he’s waiting for: the moment when we come to the end of ourselves, our plans, our dreams, and at last begin to realize our hope is found only in him.

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope” (Psalm 130:5).

Yes.

We put our hope in God’s spoken, written, printed Word and all the wisdom, promises, and truth it contains.

We put our hope in God’s character and the ways he reveals it through what he has already said and what he has already done.

We put our hope in God’s Son, his living Word: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

One of our online sisters, Anna, chose Proverbs 13:12 as her favorite because she clung to it while waiting for their daughter’s adoption to be finalized, a process that took four long years. Not weeks, not months—years.

Anna was not alone during those years of waiting. God was with her and his Word was with her. Sustaining her during the shadowy days. Strengthening her when nothing seemed certain.

…makes the heart sick,…

True fact: we don’t always feel strong in the midst of that long and difficult time of waiting. “When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed” (GNT), so much so it not only “makes you sad” (ERV), it can also “make you feel sick” (CEV).

We moan inwardly or cry outwardly, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” (Psalm 42:5). Disappointment “grieves the heart” (VOICE) and “tormenteth the soul” (WYC).

Those who’ve experienced that level of emotional and spiritual pain know how the body often suffers too. Head throbbing. Stomach twisting. Muscles aching.

Your heartsickness is real. So is the remedy, found in the balance of this verse: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (Psalm 42:5).

“Yet” means it’s never too late to praise him. This very minute our praise can begin to rise from our lips and ascend to the heavens.

Praise him in the midst of the heartache, the psalmist urges us.

Trust him as your One True Hope, even when hope is waning.

Then the winter of our discontent will finally end, and joy will come bursting through.

…but a longing fulfilled…

Call it a “wish” (CEV), a “dream” (TLB), a “desire” (ASV). When it “comes into being” (NLV), gladness floods our soul and healing fills our bones.

How did I ever doubt? we ask ourselves, unable to keep from smiling and shaking our heads in wonder.

We doubt because we are human.

We believe because he is divine.

To move from doubt to belief requires a leap of faith, which often looks less like leaping and more like waiting, trusting, and praying.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

Lord Almighty,

blessed is the one who trusts in you. Psalm 84:12

Hear my prayer, Lord;

let my cry for help come to you. Psalm 102:1

Oh, the fruit of that waiting, trusting, and praying!

…is a tree of life.

This is what happens when we hang onto hope, when we don’t lose heart: fruit. A whole tree filled with vital food for our souls.

It was winter where these grapefruits were growing. So it’s not about the season—it’s about the sunshine, about the heat, about planting in the right soil. Hope grows in a heart made fertile by God’s Word, refreshed by his living water, warmed by the light of his love, every season of the year.

When our prayers are answered and our needs our met, it’s “like eating fruit from the tree of life” (NCV). All at once “life is full and sweet” (VOICE).

The Hebrew phrase for this “tree of life” is ets chayyim—yes, the same words we find in Genesis 2:9. Here in Proverbs the meaning has grown to include a full life—mental and emotional, moral and spiritual—that lasts forever.

Anna has tasted the fruit of that tree. Her adopted daughter “is now a beautiful, talented, funny eleven-year-old.” The joy this family shares was surely worth the many years of waiting and worrying and wondering.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

    but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

Now it’s your turn

What are you longing for? And how might you put your hope in God?

Kindly respond via Post a Comment below. When we share our burdens, we often find they grow lighter. You can be sure I’ll be praying as I read each one.

Especially for those of us who are memorizing each verse (or trying!), here’s your Printable of Proverbs 13:12. You’ll also find the verses we’ve studied so far on Pinterest.

Holding you close to my heart this week.

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

  

P.S. Might we meet for a LIVE webcast on Tuesday, March 18 at 12noon ET? We’ll be hanging out on Facebook via Livestream and celebrating the release of Mercy Like Sunlight—my contemporary, fictional take on Mary Magdalene’s biblical story. I’ll reveal some insider info about the novella, share Mary Magdalene’s story from Scripture, serve up Mary Margaret Delaney’s Irish Soda Bread, and—the best part of all—answer your questions online. Ask anything you like! It’ll be a fun, fast 30 minutes, I promise. Just pop on my Facebook page March 18.

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #43 Step by Step

I stumble often, and I don’t mean just spiritually. I’ve fallen out of a plane (not kidding), skated across a parking lot on a hidden patch of snirt (snow and dirt), tumbled out of my seat at the Indianapolis airport (an unscheduled flight), and launched myself into our neighbor’s compost heap (ewww).

Lately I’m learning to place my steps with care. God invites us to do the same—and offers a surprise ending.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet

    and be steadfast in all your ways. Proverbs 4:26

Give careful thought…

People seldom “ponder” (ESV) anymore. It sounds so last century, so…well, ponderous. Slow. Old fashioned. Yet God is calling us to “consider well” (AMP) before we act. To “plan carefully” (GNT), rather than rush into things.

Me? I over-plan, over-ponder. I spend too much time making lists, and not enough time doing what’s on them. The old English proverb, “Haste makes waste, and waste makes want,” sums up my slow-roll style.

How can under-planners and over-planners find a good balance? The Hebrew helps answer that. Palas means “to make level.” After all, a “straight” (DRA) path from A to B might be kind of boring, but a “level” (ASV) path with a firm foundation makes us less likely to trip or fall by the wayside.

Good thing, because the Lord is the one who designed our paths, and he always includes a few curves and bends to keep life interesting.

…to the paths for your feet…

The Hebrew word magal means a “track” or “entrenchment,” specifically, a circle dug around the camps of those who lived in the Ancient Near East. Staying inside that track kept people out of danger and “on the safe path” (NLT).

That’s what God wants for our spiritual walk—boundaries. His counsel to “know where you are headed” (CEV) and “make sure you are going the right way” (ERV) has more to do with following his Word than with looking for directions on MapQuest.

For most of my young life, I thought the Bible was an antiquated book of rules, an endless list of dos and don’ts. Only after I’d strayed far beyond the bounds of common sense and God’s wisdom did I finally understand that his path was the best path for me. It was “the straight path, the way of truth” (VOICE), and the only path that leads to peace in him, now and forever.

My testimony in a sentence? “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:2).

Thank you, Lord, again, always.

…and be steadfast in all your ways.

Here’s that surprise ending I promised. When you follow God, putting one foot in front of the other, you never have to worry about where you’re going, or who’s going to keep the path cleared of debris, or how long the journey is going to take.

That means you don’t have to try to be steadfast—you are steadfast. You’re “secure” (CEB) and “established” (NASB) by the Lord, standing on “solid ground” (CEV). It’s not a doing thing, it’s a being thing.

Our job is not to look at our feet, but to look at God.

Our footing is made “firm”—kun, in Hebrew—through his strength alone. He built your path according to his perfect design. He charts the path, he walks the path, he is the path.

The Hebrew adds al natah—“not stretched, spread out, extended, inclined, bent, or turned”—as a reminder of what walking with God looks like. The road will “stretch out smooth before you” (MSG). No cracks in the pavement, no potholes, no speed bumps. Just the absolute certainty that “you will safely reach the end of your road” (VOICE).

His promises are true, and his Word can be trusted. “Nothing will make you fall” (ERV), beloved. Nothing.

Give careful thought to the paths for your feet

    and be steadfast in all your ways. Proverbs 4:26

Now it’s your turn

How does this proverb help you? challenge you? encourage you?

Share your thoughts via Post a Comment below. Whatever you’re learning from the Lord, we’d love to benefit from it as well.

Here’s your Printable of Proverbs 4:26 (allow just a moment for it to download). You’ll also find this week’s verse paired with a tree-lined path on Pinterest.

Next Wednesday, we’ll explore one of our favorite subjects, and a perfect fit for Lent: hope.

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

 

P.S. As we celebrate Ash Wednesday here at the Higgs house, we’re also preparing for the release of Mercy Like Sunlight, my contemporary, fictional take on Mary Magdalene’s biblical story. This novella originally appeared as the opening half of my nonfiction book Mad Mary, later titled Unveiling Mary Magdalene. Now Mary Margaret Delaney’s journey of redemption has been set free as a stand-alone eBook for just $3.99. So grateful to have this available for my fiction readers. You can pre-order Mercy Like Sunlight now for your Kindle, Nook, and other eReader devices. Thanks for letting me share our news with you, even as we enter a season of quiet preparation, longing to hear again Mary’s words of assurance, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).

“Liz captures the heart and circumstances of a woman of Magdala and brings her into the twenty-first century…captivating us with Mary’s story.”

—Kay Arthur, author of Lord, Give Me a Heart for You 

“I love Liz’s work! Her insights are fresh and exciting and will draw readers back into the Word.”

—Francine Rivers, best-selling author of Redeeming Love

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #44 I’ve Got a Secret

You’re hanging out with friends. Sharing a meal, sharing your lives. Someone’s name comes up. Someone who isn’t there.

A comment is made. “Have you seen ___?” Then another. “Well, I heard ___.”

Heads turn in your direction. Seems you know the person they’re talking about better than anyone else at the table.

What happens next depends on how willing we are to honor this week’s verse and the One who wrote it.

This isn’t about heaping guilt on our shoulders, beloved.

This is about God setting us free from the sin that binds us.

A gossip betrays a confidence,

    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. Proverbs 11:13

A gossip…

We often think of “gossip” as a verb—something we do. But here it’s a noun—something we are. The kind of person who “can’t keep secrets” (NCV), who likes to “talk about others” (NIRV) and is “always telling stories” (NLV).

If pride is the root of every sin, then gossip is a prime example. Pride prompts us to say, “I know something you don’t know,” often fueled by a desperate need for attention. Look at me. Listen to me. I know a secret. I must be special.

Brimming with a juicy story or surprising discovery, a “gadabout gossip” (MSG) can’t sit still. She (or he) “walketh deceitfully” (DRA) and “goeth guilefully” (WYC), putting not only her mouth in motion, but also her feet. Even in the computer age, gossips are more likely to spill the beans in person, rather than risk a cyber trail. An email or text is easily traced, but murmured words are lost to the winds.

…betrays a confidence,…

And what a cruel betrayal it is, when a gossip “gives away” (GW) the truth or “makes secrets known” (NLV). How many friendships have been destroyed, marriages torn apart, or businesses ruined by an idle word, a whispered rumor, a secret that’s no longer a secret?

For some of us, this sort of behavior isn’t even a temptation, let alone a common practice. We wouldn’t dream of wounding a friend or betraying another’s trust. When we promise, “Your secret is safe with me,” we mean it. If you beg us, “Don’t tell anyone,” we don’t.

Others among us are uncomfortable even reading this verse in Proverbs. Frankly, we love confiding in others or passing along something we’ve heard. We don’t consider ourselves heartless or thoughtless—just curious and gregarious. What we see, we share. What we discover, we uncover.

Only you (and the Lord) know which description fits you. Sadly, I fall in both camps: totally zip-lipped with the big stuff that truly matters, less careful with the small stuff that seems insignificant but really isn’t.

For those of us who walk in victory, glory to God.

For those of us who struggle, a heartfelt prayer.

Heavenly Father, we don’t want to be gossips. We don’t want to be that person who can’t be trusted. Please show us what to do, then empower us to do it. Lock our lips, Lord, and set us free.

…but a trustworthy person…

This is what we all long to be, every one of us. A “true friend” (CEV) with a “faithful heart” (GNV). A “reliable person” (VOICE) and “someone of integrity” (MSG).

The Hebrew word here, aman, means “confirm, support.” That’s the job of every believer: to build up, rather than tear down; to stand beside, not stand in the way.

Even if being a gossip is deeply ingrained in our nature, God is able to change us through the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, “trustworthy in spirit” (NRSV) gives us a better sense of the Hebrew word in this verse, ruach, meaning “breath, wind, spirit.”

The Holy Spirit provides the strength we need. He gently convicts and thoroughly cleanses. He stirs up edifying words we can (and should) share, and puts a lid on the private confidences meant for our ears alone.

…keeps a secret.

Thanks to the Spirit’s power, we can become a true friend who “conceals the matter” (JUB) and “won’t violate a confidence” (MSG). Those secrets entrusted to us won’t boil over, even when the heat is turned up, because of the Lord’s strength bubbling inside us, and not our own.

Since the Hebrew word, kasah, means “to cover,” I’ve found an easy, practical way to remind myself of this week’s wisdom from Proverbs. Whenever I see a lid—from the stainless steel lids on my cooking pots to the wooden lid on a storage chest—I’ll remember God wants those secrets to remain “covered” (ESV), safely hidden in my heart.

A gossip betrays a confidence,

    but a trustworthy person keeps a secret. Proverbs 11:13

Now it’s your turn

What has the Lord shown you as we unpacked Proverbs 11:13?

Share your thoughts via Post a Comment below. We’re eager to learn from you, as well as encourage you.

Here’s your Printable of Proverbs 11:13, with four copies of the verse on a single page, ready to cut apart and hang…oh, maybe with your pots and pans (smile).

And check out our weekly pins on Pinterest:

Next Wednesday? The perfect verse for marching into March!

Your grateful sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. Imagine if Mary Magdalene lived in modern Chicago—that’s Mercy Like Sunlight, a contemporary, fictional spin on Mary M.’s biblical story. This novella first appeared in 2001 as the opening half of my nonfiction book Mad Mary, later titled Unveiling Mary Magdalene. Perhaps you’ve already read it? If not, Mary Margaret Delaney’s touching journey toward redemption awaits you on ebook March 18. Fiction lovers can pre-order it now for your Kindle, Nook, and other ereader devices.

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #45 Do Good

No one wants to be called a do-gooder—a person who tries to help those in need, yet does so in a way that’s annoying, useless, even prideful. Yet we all want to do good, right?

This week’s verse shows us the difference between doing a good thing and doing a God thing.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

    when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

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Do not withhold good…

Sure wish this translation put a more positive spin on things, like “Do everything you possibly can” (ERV) or simply “Do good” (EXB). That’s what the original Hebrew gives us—a single word, towb, that means “beautiful, pleasant, good, agreeable.”

Yet most versions urge us, “Don’t hold back good” (NIRV) and “Never walk away” (MSG). That’s because our flawed human nature prods us to keep rather than give, hoard rather than share, and withhold rather than extend.

Whether it’s money, time, or the place we call home, we guard them like they’re ours, instead of God’s blessings, entrusted to us so we can care for others.

It’s not that we’re selfish or greedy or controlling. Oh no. We just want to be sure people deserve whatever we give them…

Ouch, Lord. Yes, I’m listening.

…from those to whom it is due,…

Due? Sounds like the people we’re supposed to be good to not only “deserve it” (CEB), they’re not only “worthy of it” (NIRV), they’re also “entitled to it” (CJB).

Apparently, they are the “rightful owners” (AMP), the “one it belongs to” (HCSB), the one “who should have it” (NLV). Why? Because they “need help” (EXB), and we’re meant to provide it, by God’s design.

God calls us worthy, so we can call others worthy.

God blesses us, so we can bless those around us.

Nothing here about requiring those in need to prove it, to grovel or beg.

Take a number. Fill out this form. Stand in this line.

Nope. God’s Word says just the opposite.

Don’t hold back. Share. Do good. Be generous. Give with joy, because “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

The next verse in Proverbs makes it clear God is talking about giving something tangible, something material, not simply a kind word: “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you’—when you already have it with you” (Proverbs 3:28), when “the money’s right there in your pocket” (MSG).

Open your hand. Hold it out. Help.

…when it is in your power…

This isn’t Jim Carrey strutting around the set of Bruce Almighty, lip synching to “I’ve Got the Power.” This is a believer quietly, humbly serving God by giving to others “whenever you possibly can” (GNT).

Wrapped inside the original Hebrew phrase is the word el for “God,” and yad, meaning “hand.” God puts it in our hands, saying, “Go. Give.” The power comes from on high, and so does the provision.

We sing, “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” but it’s more than that, beloved. We’re his hands to the world. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “your hand is God’s hand for that person” (MSG).

When is it in your power? Right now.

…to act.

That’s right. Just “do it” (ASV). Reach out your hand. “If it is within your power to give” (VOICE), then by all means, “help” (NET).

The Hebrew here, asah, is an active verb, telling us to “accomplish, do, make.” Not think about, but act upon.

Those who have are the needy ones. We must give, or risk losing all the joy of having.

During a recent ice storm, I posted on Facebook a photo of the ice-covered branches outside our window. Among the two hundred comments was one from a neighbor: “Liz, do you have power? We don’t.”

Oh dear. My heart went out to my them. But did my hand reach out to them? No, this girl stayed home, stayed warm, and prayed. Groan. 

Of course, I came up with all kinds of reasons—okay, excuses—not to act.

   Surely they have whatever they need.

   I don’t want to be a nuisance.

   Their power will come on any minute now.

   Our driveway is solid ice.

   I’d feel foolish knocking on their door.

   What would I take? Blankets? Hot chocolate?

As usual, I missed the point. The act of charity, the loving gesture, was what mattered. Not the gift itself, but the giving.

Now, on this bright and sunny Wednesday, God has gently but firmly convicted me.

If we want to be closer to me, Liz, then you need to give like me. 

This is why we study God’s Word. Not just to understand it, and definitely not just to memorize it. He wants us to do it. He calls us to act. And he gives us the power to do so. Thank you, Lord.

Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,

    when it is in your power to act. Proverbs 3:27

Now it’s your turn

How could you act on this verse today?

Share your thoughts via Post a Comment below. Your words will encourage others (a great place to begin giving!).

Here’s your Printable of Proverbs 3:27, with four copies of this week’s verse on a single page, ready to cut apart and hang them wherever you’ll see them. And our weekly pins on Pinterest give us another way to write these proverbs on our hearts.

Next Wednesday’s verse is one of those challenging ones I really need to hear. Kinda like this week’s verse. And the one before it. So glad you’re with me on the journey.

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

 

P.S. If you enjoy contemporary fiction, take a look at Mercy Like Sunlight: A Novella, coming March 18 on ebook!

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #46 Here Comes Trouble

Pride isn’t always a bad thing. Right? We call children our “pride and joy,” we sing the national anthem because we’re proud of our country, and even God’s Word says of Israel, “I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations” (Isaiah 60:15).

But pride in yourself? in your good works? in your virtues? Thinking of yourself more highly than you ought?

Oh baby, that kind of pride will get you in serious trouble.

The Lord makes this abundantly clear, especially in the Old Testament, where the word pride appears more than fifty times, almost never in a positive light. He promises his people, “I will break down your stubborn pride” (Leviticus 26:19) and “put an end to the arrogance of the haughty” (Isaiah 13:11).

Uh-oh.

Time to gird our loins and prepare to be humbled. Not because we’re bad and deserve to be punished, but because God is good and wants what is best for us. Always.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

    but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

When pride comes,…

Not if. Not maybe. Pride comes to us all. It’s only a question of when. where, and how.

Whether it looks like “arrogance” (GW) or “insolence” (EXB), whether we’re puffed up and “swelling” (AMP), or trying to hide behind false humility, pride is the ugly underbelly of human nature.

I believe every sin has pride at its root. Though it’s counted among the classic list of seven deadly sins— pride, wrath, greed, gluttony, sloth, envy, lust—pride is the underlying reason we get mad, overspend, overeat, waste time, want what others have, and let our libido run wild.

One translation begins, “First comes pride” (CJB). Too right. From the very start, pride convinced our first Bad Girl, Eve, that she deserved a bite of that forbidden fruit. The snake may have started the conversation, but it was Eve’s pride that talked her into it.

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and”—here we go—“also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it” (Genesis 3:6).

This wasn’t just about feeding her appetite or holding something beautiful in her hands. This was about gaining wisdom from a source other than God. This was, “I want that, I deserve that, and I’m going to have that.” This was, “Look how clever I am now, and how much smarter I’ll be after I eat this!”

One bite, and Eve’s prideful party was over. “Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’” (Genesis 3:13).

Busted.

…then comes disgrace,…

As surely as B follows A, “disgrace follows” (HCSB) pride, and “shame is not far behind” (VOICE). Eugene Peterson hits the nail on the head, as usual: “The stuck-up fall flat on their faces” (MSG).

Groan.

One of the many problems with pride? It’s short lived. We’re standing on a pedestal of our own making one minute, then sweeping up what’s left of it the next. And the next, and the next, and the next. Such “dishonor” (NASB) isn’t easily overcome, and the sense of “emptiness” (AMP) lingers.

I still recall in painful detail a speech I gave in Newport Beach 20 years ago. It was an evening banquet for a mixed audience of business professionals wanting an after-dinner humorist. I convinced myself I could do it, even though none of those things fits my calling, which is to encourage my sisters in Christ with joy and abandon.

To say that it went poorly is an understatement. When I finally finished, the audience leaped to their feet—and ran out the door. I’d hoped for a standing ovation; this was more like a running ovation.

Two days later a brave friend finally called and said, “It wasn’t that bad…”

Nice try.

Ego says, “I got this.”

Conceit says, “I can pull this off.”

Hubris says, “I can’t possibly fail.”

The problem with pride is that I in the middle.

…but…

Our favorite word, setting us up for the good news ahead.

God has a better plan. Instead of spending years in the school of hard knocks, where “pride leads only to shame” (NCV) and “reproach” (DRA), the Lord offers us an easier, more effective way of doing life.

…with humility…

Humble people are “modest” (ERV) and “down-to-earth” (MSG). They think about others before themselves, and about God before anyone else. They “renounce self” (AMP). They are “not proud” (NIRV), but “lowly” (YLT), and “meekness” (WYC) is how they roll.

The Hebrew word is tsana—“modest or humble”—also found in Micah 6:8, one of The 20 Verses You Love Most, which calls us to “walk humbly with your God.”

Humility isn’t something we can manufacture on our own. It’s what happens when we walk with God. When we see how big his footprints are compared to our tiny ones. When we allow him to teach us, rather than insisting we know everything.

The truth is, it’s better to be humble than to be humbled, “pruned or chiseled by trial” (AMP). But whatever it takes—and for some of us, that means a sharp set of pruning shears or a very heavy chisel—the end result is more of God, less of us. Hooray.

Here’s the best part: God is the One who does the pruning and chiseling. He is the One who helps us grow into the image of his Son. Who better to wield the shears or chisel than the One who loves us completely?

The end result? You guessed it.

…comes wisdom.

That beautiful feminine noun in Hebrew, chokmah: wisdom, a gift from above.

If “wisdom comes to those who are not proud” (NIRV), then “it’s wiser to be humble” (CEV). The two are intertwined: humility and wisdom.

Only when we are humble are we teachable.

Only when we are empty can we be filled up.

Only when we see God alone as our source of wisdom can we truly become wise.

Just as one of the problems with pride is that it’s short lived, one of the joys of wisdom is that it “stays” (ERV) and will “stand firm” (MSG), because “wisdom remains with humble people” (GW).

Pride can be dismantled in a heartbeat, but no one can undo the wisdom God gives to those he prunes, chisels, and loves.

God plants his wisdom deep inside us like a living, growing seed. That’s why studying his Word—his wisdom—really is genius. These eleven words have more power to change us than anything else we’ll read today.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,

    but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Now it’s your turn

Just one question, beloved:

Have you had a Newport Beach moment in your life? What wisdom did God teach you through that humbling process?

I hope you’ll Post a Comment below. Not only will you benefit from sharing your heart: so will the rest of us!.

And here’s your Printable of Proverbs 11:2, with four copies of this week’s verse on a single page. I hope you’re finding them helpful.

Check out our weekly pins on Pinterest, another way to keep our favorite verses from Proverbs close to our hearts and minds.

Next Wednesday, a challenge that will hit us right where we live. If I haven’t mentioned it lately, I am LOVING doing this study with you!

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. Last week I gave you the first part of the verse, inviting you to fill in the second. Let’s try it in reverse, with one word to help you get started:

Let __________________________________

    bind them around your neck,

    write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 3:3

For __________________________________

    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6

A ____________________________________

    and how good is a timely word! Proverbs 15:23

The __________________________________

    but the wise listen to advice. Proverbs 12:15

The __________________________________

    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27

When _________________________________

    but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Meanwhile, I’m trying some new ways to memorize Scripture, and am looking forward to sharing them with you later this month. So proud of you for GOING FOR IT!

Your 50 Favorite Proverbs: #47 In the Spotlight

Okay, who voted for this one?! (Just kidding, Mary.) Now that I’ve spent time with this week’s verse, I’m glad it made our top 50. Still, it is a little unsettling to think about God shining a bright spotlight into the darkest corner of our hearts.

What happens if he finds something embarrassing? something ugly? something we don’t want anyone to know about, let alone the Lord?

Keep reading. The news is good, I promise.

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord

    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27

The human spirit…

So, is this the Holy Spirit? No, but if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, this is where he dwells inside you.

The Hebrew word, neshamah, means “breath,” the very essence of human life. When God first made man from the dust of the ground, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7).

But it’s not oxygen we’re talking about here—aardvarks and zebras breathe too. Rather, it’s the unique quality which makes us human. Our “soul” (GW), our “conscience” (TLB), or if you want to get really specific, “that factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God” (AMP).

Right.

It’s the part that makes you you, and not someone else. The part that’s made in God’s image, shining inside us.

…is the lamp of the Lord…

Yes, a real lamp, burning bright, like a “fire” (JUB) or a “searchlight” (TLB). This “candle of the Lord” (KJV), Matthew Henry tells us, is “not only lighted by him, but lighted for him,” so he can look around.

Is it just me, or is this idea really scary?

…that sheds light…

His beacon inside us “penetrates” (NLT) and “illuminates” (VOICE), relentlessly “searching” (AMP) and “exposing” (NLT), so the Lord “is able to see” (ERV) everything.

I know in my heart I can’t hide things from God.

But in my foolish flesh, I tell myself he can’t possibly look at all of us at the same time, right? Surely he didn’t see me do that, or hear me mutter that, or watch me when I behaved like that?

Oh yes, he did. Yes, he does. And yes, he will.

Make no mistake, “the Lord looks deep inside people” (NCV). He sees it all.

Why is this a good thing? Because through our God-given conscience, he can show us who we truly are—the good, the bad, and the desperately ugly—lest we think for a moment we can manage without him. “It is the spirit in a person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives them understanding” (Job 32:8).

When God sees us, we see more clearly too.

…on one’s inmost being.

Now, there’s a phrase that would stop a conversation in its tracks: “one’s inmost being”? Wow. Heavy, as we said in the ‘70s.

“Our hearts” (CEV)? We get that. “Our most intimate thoughts” (VOICE)? Sure. “All the hidden things of the bowels” (DRA) sounds like a topic best saved for your next doctor’s appointment. And “into your deepest parts” (ERV) makes me downright uncomfortable.

It’s meant to. In Hebrew, these two words, cheder and beten, are often translated “bedroom” and “womb.”

Okay, then.

God shines his light of truth into the very core of who we are, the deepest center of our personality, our sexuality, our physicality, our spirituality, revealing “every hidden motive” (NLT) and ”all our innermost secrets” (WYC).

The fact is, “we cannot hide from ourselves” (GNT), and we cannot hide from God. He sees everything, whether we want him to or not. Yes, that. And that. And (sorry) that.

Even so, he loves us. Even so, he forgives us. Even so, he will “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Because of the sacrifice Christ made on the cross, the penalty for our sins has been paid in full. When God shines his light inside us, it’s not so he can punish us; it’s so he can purify us.

Good news, as promised. Very good news.

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord

    that sheds light on one’s inmost being. Proverbs 20:27

Now it’s your turn

One question for you:

How might this verse change your view of God?

And your view of yourself?

Share your thoughts via Post a Comment below. Your honesty will help us all be more honest with ourselves and with the Lord.

And here’s your Printable of Proverbs 20:27, with four copies of this week’s verse on a single page. I hope you’re finding them helpful.

I’ve also added a new pin illustrating Proverbs 20:27 on Pinterest.

Next Wednesday, it’s another “but” verse, showing us how to become wiser. Until then, God bless you for writing his Word across the tablet of your heart!

Your sister, Liz

@LizCurtisHiggs #50Proverbs

P.S. How are you doing on memorizing? (I know, I know. It’s harder than I expected too!) Here’s one way to practice:

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

    ___________________________

    ___________________________. Proverbs 3:3

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    ___________________________. Proverbs 2:6

A person finds joy in giving an apt reply—

    ___________________________! Proverbs 15:23

The way of fools seems right to them,

    ___________________________. Proverbs 12:15

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord

    ___________________________. Proverbs 20:27

Don’t lose heart. We can do this!