Rarity

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 31

Key Verse: Verse 10 - “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.”

Key Words: Who can find a virtuous woman 

Finding a virtuous woman is not impossible, but it is a rarity.  As you scan the pages of God’s Word, you only find two women whom God called virtuous.

First of all, there is Ruth, found in Ruth 3:11,  “And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requires: for all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman.”

Secondly, some time back our family went to the Smoky Mountains for a vacation.  We came across a sign that read, “Ruby Mines – 2 Miles Ahead on the Right.”  My wife and the girls just insisted that we stop by the Ruby Mines to see if we could find some rubies.  When we arrived I found out that you actually buy a five-pound bag of dirt and you go and pan for rubies from the bag of dirt you buy.  Before I bought the bags of dirt – five pounds for $20.00 – I asked the man running the mines if anyone had ever “found” a ruby, and he assured me they had.  So the five of us took our five bags of dirt and began our panning.  Well, ten bags and $40.00 later, we were still “ruby-less.”  On the way out, I asked again, “Are you sure rubies have come out of this mine?”  He again answered, “Yes.”  So I asked how many and he said, “I have worked at the mines for over five years, and have seen two genuine rubies.”  Then I said, “Two!”  He looked at me, smiled, and said, “They are a rarity, you know.”

“Who can find a virtuous woman?  for her price is far above rubies.”

                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

            ✞Live the truth, walk in truth, be extraordinary!

 

A Buttermilk Bath

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 30

Key Verse: Verse 33- “Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.”

Key Words: Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter 

I recently saw an ad in the newspaper which brought back a flood of memories.

It was an old-fashioned butter churn.  Maybe you remember them.  This one was a tall wooden vessel with a hole in the cover, through which a round handle protruded with paddles on the lower end.  By patient, hard work – plunging the paddles up and down in the cream – you can make butter provided the temperature is right.  How well I remember – it seemed like hours before the butter would separate!  But Aunt Sarah would always say, “if you’ll only keep on, it will come sooner or later.”  Yes, the secret was in keeping on – not giving up.  Butter comes only from churning and churning.  To stop is to fail!

The story is told of two frogs that fell into a tub of cream.  The one looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, ‘It is hopeless.”  So he resigned himself to death, relaxed, and sank to th e bottom!  The other frog determined to keep on swimming as long as he could.  “Something might happen,” he said – and sure enough it did!  He kept kicking, kicking, churning, churning, and finally, “Eureka!” He found himself on a solid platform of butter, floating on top of his buttermilk bath.  He hopped out safely, and only because he would not give up.  Paul wrote, “And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, If…” (Galatians 6:9).  You finish the verse.

The moral of the story is do not ever, ever give up.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

            ✞Give up and lose, or…

✞Keep going, and praying, and believing, and churning awy – and make some butter thast will butter up your life.

 

Needless Fear

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 29

Key Verse: Verse 25 - “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”

Key Words: The fear of man bringeth a snare 

There are three types of fear mentioned in God’s Word.  There is sudden fear or startling fear.  There is the fear of God, a reverential fear.  And then there is trembling fear.  That’s the fear we find in our text verse, verse 25.  I have found that this is the fear that Satan will use to keep us from carrying out God’s will.  But I have also found that it is a useless and senseless fear.  As a child of God, I have the continual watch care of God over me.

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves.  On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test.  He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone.  Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and tribe.  But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away.  When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of thick woods, and he was terrified.  Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce.  After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest.  Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of a path.  Then to his utter astonishment, he beheld a figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with bow and arrow.  It was his father.  He had been there all night long.

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞Move forward doing the will of God in spite of your fear.

✞The more we give in to our fears, the more victories can be accomplished by Satan.

✞trust in God and you’ll never be afer.

Stability

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 28

Key Verse: Verse 1 - “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Key Words: the righteous are bold as a lion 

      There are two things about the righteous man which produces stability.

      First of all, his courage produces stability, the courage to stay rather than flee when things are going awry. (Verse 1)

Secondly, his understanding produces stability. If I fail to understand what is happening around me, I’m prone to flee. (Verse2)

      David McCullough’s biography of Teddy Roosevelt, Mornings on Horseback, includes this story of young Teddy as a child in New York City: “Mittie (his mother) had found he was so afraid of the Madison Square Church that he refused to set foot inside if alone. He was terrified, she discovered, of something called the “zeal.”  It was crouched in the dark corners of the church ready to jump at him, he said. When she asked what zeal might be, he said he was not sure, but thought it was probably a large animal like an alligator or a dragon.  He had heard the minister read about in the Bible.  Using a concordance, she read him those passages containing the word “zeal” until, very excited, he told her to stop.  The line was from the Gospel of John 2:17: “And his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.’”

      His lack of stability came from fear because of failure to understand.

      Now, let me ask you “Are you standing or fleeing today?”  I hope you’re standing.

                                                                                 Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞Be courageous and seek understanding. If not, you’ll flee through all your life 

Procrastination

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 27Key Verse: Verse 1 - “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

Key Words: Boast not thyself of tomorrow 

From time to time, we all procrastinate; but when procrastination is a way of life for us it is a glaring fault that hinders our testimony as a believer.  But even worse is the putting off of salvation.  We are told in II Corinthians 6:2, (“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time, behold, now is the day of salvation.”)

There is an old fable that I remember from years ago that goes something like this, Satan gathered all of his demons together for the purpose of keeping the lost from being saved.  Satan said, “Now what lie can I tell them that would cause the unbeliever to put off becoming a Christian?”  One demon suggested, “Let’s tell them that the Bible is not true and you can’t trust it.”  Satan responded, “That won’t work, anyone with common sense knows the Bible is true.”  Then another demon spoke up and said, “Let’s tell them that God isn’t real and that He is a figment of man’s imagination.”  Satan again retorted, “Man knows God is real, that won’t work either.”  Then another demon said, “Let’s tell them that Jesus doesn’t exist.”  Again that met with this response from Satan, “All men know that Jesus lived and is alive today.  That won’t work either.” Then one of the smarter demons responded, “Satan let’s tell them that the Bible is real, and that Jesus does exist, and they can be saved. But why do it today when you’ve got tomorrow?”  “Great idea!” said Satan. And so it’s gone on down through the years, “You can get saved, just don’t do it today.”

Well, I say, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

                                                                                         

What to do:

      ✞Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can and should do today.

      ✞Remember, procrastination is a glaring fault that will damage your testimony.

Slothfulness

Bible Reading: Proverbs 26

Key Verse: Verse 16 - “The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.”

Key Words: The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit 

      Daniel Webster was a great orator with a quick mind.  In his early years, Webster’s father left specific instructions for Daniel and his older brother, Ezekiel.  When the elder Webster returned from his trip, the job was still unfinished.  He questioned the boys about their slothfulness, “What have you been doing Ezekiel?”  “Nothing, sir,” was the reply.  The father then turned to the younger Daniel and asked, “Well what have you been doing, Son?”  Webster never batted an eye, “Helping Zeke, sir.”  Slothfulness.

      The retired husband was in his usual position of lying on the couch.  When he awoke from his nap, he looked at his watch..The second hand was no longer moving, and the time was obviously wrong.  He called out to his wife who was working in the kitchen.  He said, “This watch doesn’t work anymore.”  She immediately shot back, “At least it’s in good company!”  Slothfulness…

The CEO of a large company was asked, “How many people work in your company?”  The dry-witted CEO replied, “Not many!”  Slothfulness…

Where there is a will not to work, you’ll always find an excuse!!

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse

 What to do:

      ✞Be a worker.

      ✞Don’t make excuses.

Our Words

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 25

Key Verse: Verse 11 - “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

Key Words: A word fitly spoken 

In Proverbs 25:11-15, Solomon gives us five different types of words.

Verse 11:  Our words should be fitting (not out of line or improper).

Verse 12:  Our words should be wise.  (A person who knows how to properly correct with words is a rarity).

Verse 13:  Our words should be refreshing. (In ancient times, snow was used very much as ice is today.  In winter it was carefully put away so as to be available for cooling drinks in the heat of summer.  The simile, therefore, is very easy to understand.  As the cold snow refreshes the reapers in the hot days of harvest, so does the dependable messenger refresh the soul of those who place their confidence in him to deliver a message).

Verse 14:  Our words should not be boastful.  (A boastful person can talk up a hefty cloud and a good puff of wind, but they never produce anything of any substance).

Verse 15:  Our words should be soft.  (We are reminded of Proverbs 15:1a, “A soft answer turneth away wrath.”)

I recently read about a woman who committed suicide.  She left an unfinished not that simply read, “They said…”  She never finished her final thought, but whatever “they said” was painful enough for her to extinguish her own life.  We say “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt us.” Oh, how untrue!  In this case, words literally killed. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse  

What to do: 

      ✞Make your words 1) fitting, 2) wise, 3) refreshing, 4) not boastful, and 5) soft.  Some good points to          remember, don’t you think?

A Fool

Bible Reading: Proverbs 24

Key Verse: Verse 7 - “Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.”

Key Words: Wisdom is too high for a fool 

Solomon warns us against listening to the advice of three kinds of fools: the silent fool (verse7) the sinful fook (verse 8), and the scornful fool (verse 9).

But it is verse 7 I want us to see.  “Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his moth in the gate.”  The point being, this man has been promoted beyond his level of competence.  He has a position amoung the mighty, but he is completely incompetent to speak with wisdom on the matters under discussion.

I read the following from An Atlas and Text of Ulta Structural Pathology.

“In the liver biopsy of a 21-day-old patient with Jeune syndrome (Asphyxiating Thoracic Dystrophe) who had marked hyperbilirubinemia, intense bile ductular proliferation associated with poital febrosis, inflammation and edema was found.  The hepatic ultrastructure revealed lysosomal rentention of bile pigment…  Other changes included proliferation of the membranes of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum with glycogen body formation, mildly dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum.”

What!!  I felt as if I were reading a foreign language.  No doubt, I was in over my head.

So it is with a fool when it comes to wisdom.  He is in over his head.  He cannot comprehend words which are wise.  Therefore, he cannot take part in the conversation.

There is an old saying that goes like this, “It is better to

Say nothing and appear to be a fool than to speak up and reveal that you are a fool.”

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

      ✞Be wise in your conversations.

✞Always remember silence may leave people wondering about your wisdom -  speaking removes all doubt.

Ouch!!

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 23

Key Verse: Verse 32 - “At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”

Key Words: it biteth like a serpent 

According to Russell Ash in his book, The Top Ten of Everything, the number one reason for arrests in the United States, id driving under the influence.  Each year more Americans are arrested for that reason than any other, larceny and theft being the second highest volume of arrests while drug abuse violence comes in third.

Did you know that alcoholic beverages are a product of amazing versatility?  It will remove stains from clothes, but it will also remove clothes off your back.  If by chance it is used in sufficient quantity, alcohol will remove furniture from the home, rugs from the floor, food from the table, lining from the stomach, vision from the eyes, and judgment from the mind.  Alcohol will also remove good reputations, good jobs, good friends, happiness from children’s hearts, sanity, freedom, spouses, relationships, man’s ability to adjust and live with his fellow man, and even life itself.  A a remover of things, alcohol has not equal.

Also a recent survey found that the average college student drinks thirty-four gallons of alcoholic beverages a year.  Freshmen drink the most, followed by sophomores, then juniors, and seniors drink the least.

Grade point averages show the same hierarchy of ranking.  Those who drink the most have grade point averages of less than 2.0.  Those who have 3.0 rank second in their alcohol consumption, and those who make A’s drink noe t all on an average.

Now , the moral of all this appears to be; the smarter you are, the less you drink.

As believers, we should abstain from drinking.  This can be accomplished by being filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

                                                                           Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

            ✞If you drink alcoholic beverages, stop.

✞If you are addicted, seek help.

            ✞As believers, be filled with the Spirit. (See Ephesians 5)

Influencing Your CHild

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 22

Key Verse: Verse 6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Key Words: Train up 

Discipline is not a list of “do’s” and “do not’s.”  Discipline is control.  The reason we discipline our children is because they refuse to control their own behavior;; so we attempt through punishment to give them the right desire to bring their behavior under control. But years of experience have taught me that proper discipline in our children is not just taught, it also caught by children from parents who live a Christ-centered life.  We as parents cannot lead beyond our own example.  We often hear the motto, “Christ is the Head of this house.” But as Christian parents this should also be the motto of our hearts. As parents our “self-control” should be to let Christ rule in our hearts, and then we can lead our children to a proper code of conduct for their lives.  The following are ways which we can influence children for Christ.

1.       Be honest.  If we are not hones in our daily tasks, how can we expect our children to be honest?  You should not expect your children to be honest with you and others if you lie and cover for your children’s absences, or if you attempt to cover for them when they misbehave.  Be honest. You cannot expect your children to be honest unless you lead the way (Ephesians 4:25).

2.      Be consistent.  You cannot expect your children to put God first in their lives if you do not put God first in your life.  Lead the way (Matthew 6:33).

3.      Be respectful.  When my granddaughter, Audra, was fourteen months old she was in the room (unbeknownst to me) while I was working.  I was admiring my work and simply let out a loud “ooh-wee.”  From the corner of the room I heard this loud cry, “Ooh-wee, PaPa.”  Children repeat what they hear.  You can’t expect your children to give proper respect unless you lead the way in it (Hebrews 13:17).

4.      Be realistic.  Don’t expect perfection from your children.  Believe me, they see your mistakes, and when you require them to be what you are not, lit leads to misbehavior. The key is not perfection, but a 100% effort on both the parents’ and the child’s part.  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Remember, discipline is not just taught, it is caught!  God bless you as your children catch what you have got.

                                                                                    Dr. Mike Rouse                                                                            

What to do:

            ✞Apply the principles outlined in this definition.

Safety

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 21

Key Verse: Verse 31 - “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.”

Key Words: safety is of the LORD 

It is said often enough so we certainly can’t forget that we live in dangerous times.  We are reminded of that tidbit of discouraging news by the media, medical and ministrial professions; so in the midst of all this discouragement and danger, what is a guy to do?   Well, he should…

• Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents;
• Avoid staying home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home;
• Avoid walking and exercising because 14% of all accidents occur during these events;
• Avoid, if at all possible, traveling by air , rail or se-going vessels as 16% of all accidents involve these forms of transportation;
• Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in hospitals.  Above all else, it would appear hospitals must be avoided.

So what’s left?  Well, interestingly enough, only .001% of all deaths occur in church services and those are usually related to previous disorders.  Therefore, common sense tells us that church is a safe place to be. 

The Bible is certainly safe as well.  The percentage of deaths during Bible study is enormously small.  Therefore, I have reached the conclusion that for safety’s sake, attend church and read your Bible.  It could save your life.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse                                                What to do:

            ✞  Where do you believe your safety comes from?

            ✞  Ask God for safety each day.

            ✞  Pray for the safety of others. 

Integrity

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 20

Key Verse: Verse 7 – “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”

Key Words: The just man walketh in his integrity 

In Proverbs 20:7a we are told that, “The just man walketh in his integrity.”  The word integrity comes from the Latin word integer.  It’s a math term meaning whole number.  The idea behind integrity is that we are whole, that our walk and out talk are one.  We do what we say we will do and we are what we say we are.  Today so many people freely attribute integrity to others, but are you aware that in the entire Word of God only three people were ever said to have integrity,  Abraham, David , and Job.  The reason so few people have integrity is because of the pressure placed on them to lose their integrity.  For example, Job was attacked by Satan so he would lose his integrity.  His wife put family pressure on him, and then his friends pressured him, all so that Job would lose his integrity.  No wonder so very few people keep their integrity.  Now integrity is not so much what I say about myself as what others say and see about me.  I remember for one of my college final exams we had twenty questions.  Numbers one and twenty were blank but numbers two through nineteen had questions our beside them.  The professor asked us verbally question number one, “Do you have integrity?’  Yes or no was the only  acceptable answer.  Then he told us to answer questions two through nineteen and turn our papers over on our desk.  After everyone was finished, he took our exams and then passed them out and said, “Now look at the name on the exam you have before you and look at question number one.  If you believe they were truthful about their integrity, give them five points.  Integrity is not what you think of yourself, it is what others see in you.”

Today when others look at you, they’ll reach a decision about your integrity.  What decision will they reach? 

                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

      ✞Always practice integrity.

      ✞Parents, remember integrity is not so much taught as caught. 

      ✞What would others say about your integrity?.

  

The Priority of Integrity

Bible Reading: Proverbs 19

Key Verse: Verses 1 - “ Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.”                    

Key Words: Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity 

As you read the beginning verses of Proverbs 19, you read about:

·         Knowledge and hastiness in verse 2,

·         Foolishness and fretting in verse 3,

·         Wealth and friends in verse 4, and

·         False witnesses and punishment in verse 5. 

But it’s verse one I want you to see with me today, and the priority of integrity.  An unscrupulous salesman was delivering a bid that his company had made for an engineering firm.  He was ushered into the office where he would present his bid  to the firm.  After a brief introduction, the firm’s representative politely excused himself for a minute.  The shady salesman quickly noticed the bid of his competitor lyning on the desk.  Unfortunately, there was a cold drink covering the total amount.  He gazed out into the inner office and noticed ther was nobody to see him sneak a peek.  He lifted the Coke and got the surprise of his life.  Rather than a cold drink, it was a bottomless can filled with BBs.  The quiet office was filled with the sound of BBs racing across the desk and spilling onto the floor.  The firm’s representative then returned to the office and showed the dishonest salesman the door.  Integrity is demonstated more when people are not looking than when they are. 

                                                                                     Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

      ✞Make integrity a part of your daily life.

      ✞Remember it’s better to be poor and have integrity than to be rich and have no integrity.

To Have One, Be One

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 18

Key Verse: Verse 24 - “A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

Key Words: A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly 

In a book by Henry Durbanville, the author underscored the importance of friends as a means of overcoming the dreaded enemy of loneliness.  He included the following excellent quotes that are worthy of repeating.  Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.”  A small boy defined a friend as “someone who knows all about you and likes you just the same.’  And an old Arab saying goes like this: “A friend is one to whom we may pour out all the contents of our hearts, chaff and grain together, knowing tht the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping , and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”  Durbanville himself made this observation: “A friend is the first person to come in when the whole world goes out.”

Solomon  wrote in Proverbs 17”17, “A friend loveth at all times.”  We can’t improve on that definition.  To have someone who remains true to us under all circumstances. Is indeed one of life’s choicest blessings.  The support and encouragement that only an intimate personal friend can offer is sorely needed when the burdens and pressures of life weigh heavily upon us.  But today’s Scripture makes a very important point.  It says that “A man who hath friends must show himself friendly.”  The implication is clear – Friendliness must begin with us.  We must take the initiative in developing relationships with others.

Let us be to others what we desire for ourselves.  When it comes to friends, to have one you must be one!

                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do: 

✞There is an old saying that goes like this: “I went out to find a friend and could not find one nowhere; but when I went out to be a friend, I found friends everywhere.” 

            ✞You want a friend? Be one first.

A Loving Friend

Bible Reading:  Proverbs 17

Key Verse: Verse 17 - “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Key Words: A friend loveth at all times 

Proverbs chapter seventeen deals with the subject of contentment.  We see in verses one through five that Solomon deals with contentment from possessions.  In verses six through ten, he deals with contentment from having right priorities.  In verses eleven through twenty-one, he talks about being content with people, and sometimes being content in spite of people.  Then in verses twenty-two through twenty-eight, he talks about contentment that comes from being prudent.

But in verse seventeen, Solomon touches on being content in our friendships when he says “A friend loveth at all times.”  A real key to loving someone is in really being their friend,.  Let me explain.

On July 29, 1981, Britain’s Prince Charles married Lady Di in a grand royal wedding.  The glamorous wedding was a “fairy tale comes true” for both Prince Charles and Lady Di, or at least that’s what we were led to believe.  For their wedding London was a city dressed like a large stage.  City busses were painted the color of the wedding.  There wee 4,000 pots of flowers tht lined the wedding route of Lady Di.  All the flowers were, there again, the color of her wedding.

That day it is said tht three million people lined the streets of London to get a glimpse of Lady Di.  The wedding was carried live on television in seventy-five countries.  Approximately one billion people watched the wedding. 

It was indeed a glamorous wedding, but unfortunately, it wasn’t a glamorous marriage.

Fifteen years and one month after Prince Charles and Lady Di said “I do,” they were divorced.  Someone asked Prince Charles why the marriage failed.  His answer was, to say the least, shocking.  He said, “Lady Di and I were lovers and admired each other, but we were never friends.”  Oh!! The Word of God is so true.  “A friend loveth at all times.” 

                                                                                        Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞Remember, a friendship that can’t endure trials can’t be trusted.           

✞Don’t just marry a lover, make sure you’re friends.

            ✞Don’t just want friends, be a friend.

God Is In Control

Bible Reading: Proverbs 16

Key Verse: Verse 33 - “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD.”

Key Words: The lot is cast into the lap 

Flipping a coin, drawing straws, or even taking a number out of a hat have always been ways of resolving a disagreement when other ways have failed.  One of these methods was recently used to decide the winner of an election.  It seems as though two men tied with 140 votes apiece in a city council election in a small town outside Norman, Oklahoma.  Rather than go through the expensive of another election, city officials used a chance method to decide the winner, and apparently everyone accepted the outcome.  In case you are wondering, they actually drew straws to decide the winner.

Many people view all of this as nothing more than a matter of chance, of gambling and playing the odds; but Solomon said that ultimately the whole matter would be decided by God.  In bible times this was not an unusual way of resolving situations. For example, remember in Jonah where they wanted to cast lots to see who had angered God and caused the storm (Jonah 1:7)?

So should we resort to casting lots or flipping coins to resolve conflicts, or to find God’s will, or to seek His direction?  Absolutely not!  We have His Word, His Spirit, and His assurance that He is guiding us.

Then what does all of this say to us?  I believe it says that from the Christian perspective there is no such thing as chance or luck.  God is either directly or indirectly involved in everything that happens to us.  He can, therefore, be trusted and obeyed in any circumstance because God is in control.

                                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

             ✞Turn everyday and every situation over to God.

             ✞Follow God’s direction as He speaks to you through His Word.

            ✞And remember, lots would never had been cast in Jonah, had Jonah been in God’s                 will.