A scripture in this chapter sparked my thoughts this morning about something I was thinking about a couple of weeks ago.  It is Proverbs 29:19

 

A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; 
though he understands, he will not respond.

 

I've been thinking a lot about wisdom.  When I REALLY started to read my Bible, only about 4 years ago sadly to say, I struggled as many do to not let my mind glaze over, but really get something out of it.  A year or two ago I decided to keep a journal as I read where I write down at least one "truth" per chapter that I read.  I then struggled (especially in the OT) to not just write facts, which are true, but a real truth or principle that touches on something that can be applied to my life.  It radically changed my Bible reading.  I'm seeking something with every chapter I read.  The challenge in the NT is to narrow it down to something I can write in my journal without just copying the entire chapter!  Every word that came from Jesus' mouth was pregnant with truth.  But more recently I've felt the Lord impress me with the difference still between truth and wisdom.  It's a natural progression from acquiring facts, then truth, then wisdom which is actually applying the truth when the need arises.  I read somewhere recently that wisdom is when truth becomes intimate in your life by becoming part of who you are - your actions.  How usesless to know to do well, but not actually DO it.  I love the idea of eating the word.  You take it into your being and then it manifests itself in our outer conduct. 

 

The opposite is also true.  You can hear a misstatement of facts, and it is just that.  One thermometer might say it is 92 degrees out, and one says 94 degrees.  Both can't be right, there must be an error in one or both of them.  But then there is a lie, like the one in Genesis where the serpent led Eve to believe God was holding out on her and did not want her good, but wanted to keep her from something great.  The doubts probably floated around her mind for a while until, ... she ACTED on the lie.  That's where her sin was.  The lie became intimate in her when she acted on it.  How many times a day do I respond to my sin instead of God's truth.  Well, my kids could probably write a book when they're older and let you know just how often.

 

So this scripture reminded me again that I don't just want to understand the truth, but I want to RESPOND to it!

 

I have been totally missing in action.  VBS was very good this year, but exhausting!  I don't know what I was thinking when I told Debbie I would monitor 3 & 4 year olds.  Yikes!  But the kids love it so much, and the temple was so cool.  I learned a lot and know that a lot of people have gained a lot from it.  I'm so thankful for all the hard work that goes into it.  So I put some pictures up of the girls that I was with during the week. 

 

I think the coolest thing I got from the week was when I watched the depiction of the Day of Atonement.  The speaker was talking about how the sacrifice had to be just perfect, no blemish whatsoever.  I could feel the tension in the reenactment that we were watching.  Would God accept the sacrifice?  Would it be acceptable to God to atone for the next year?   Or would the High Priest fall dead and the Children of Israel live in fear?  And then the moment when the music changed and they started praising God and you knew that the sacrifice had been accepted.  It was so cool.   I felt so impressed with the thought that with Jesus as our sacrifce, we have no fear that the offering will be rejected.  God has accepted the sacrifice.  There is so much confidence in the fact that Jesus is my sacrifice.  I was also impressed with how different the Hebrew's worship and relationship with God is than mine, yet it is the same God.  "My" God instituted all those pieces of furniture, sacrifices, rituals, etc.  It seems so foreign from the way I feel about the Lord today - abba Father, constant friend, confidant.  But I felt like I saw more deeply into His holy character by seeing the things He created as a foreshadowing of the relationship He wanted with His children.  He is so holy and brilliant in the plan of salvation, like that's a shocker.   He is so good to give us these images too.  I've always loved types and shadows.  Well, I'm rambling now.  Just wanted to give a post with the pictures.