In Toil There Is Profit

"In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

"Are you a Finn?" That was a strange question to be asked by a supervisor. But, that is exactly what I was asked years ago as I worked on a production line in a sewing factory. I had laughed and asked him how he could know that as I was living in North Carolina where there were very few people of Finnish descent. I knew of only one other. The supervisor was not of Finnish descent himself. He said he guessed that because of my work ethic. At the time, the company I worked for was laying me off and paying me unemployment one or two days every week because the particular station I worked at would run out of work by Wednesday or Thursday. In the history of the factory no one had ever made production at my station until that time.

I am still not sure how he would guess my ethnicity as I know a lot of people today of this same ethnic background who do not like to work and who will go out of their way to avoid it. I do not believe that ethnicity has much to do with our particular work ethics. Our work ethics are not necessarily dictated by our gene pool; but, has more to do with our environment.

I was taught at an early age that in order to live; in order to eat; in order to have shelter and heat, we must work. We must take care of responsibilities. We probably spend around one third of our lives working so we may as well do it well. We may as well throw ourselves into it and enjoy it.

Raising our sons, I would often make games out of household chores. We would work together so that the chores we had to complete would be more enjoyable for all. There is profit in our toil. Sometimes, it is merely to survive and to survive well. Other times it is so that we can share fruitful time with others.

Whatever we do, let us do it well that the work of our hands might glorify our Father in heaven.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Two Things I Ask

Two things I ask of you;

    do not deny them to me before I die:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying;

    give me neither poverty nor riches;

    feed me with the food that I need,

or I shall be full, and deny you,

    and say, “Who is the Lord?”

or I shall be poor, and steal,

    and profane the name of my God.

Prov 30:7-9

 

 

Give us this daily bread...

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Rest For The Weary

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."

Matt 11:28 NRSV

 

Jobless, homeless, hungry, and cold: that is the state of a lot of Americans. So many are weary of struggling to survive from day to day. We live in a country of some pretty big extremes. It amazes me when the political upper class speak like people earning $50,000 a year are poor. In 2012, the National Center for Law and Justice estimated that one out of sixteen people were living in deep poverty; that is they lived with income 50% below the poverty line. Imagine living like that! Those who live in deep poverty will never see this blog. They do not have access to computers or the internet. Just maybe our elected officials make so much money they have lost touch with the reality of what kind of struggles many Americans actually live with. $50,000. a year is not poor. One can feed and clothe and shelter their families on $50,000 a year.

 

Personally, I get weary of people who have I-Phones and I-Pods; have more bedrooms than children; and, take vacations two or three times a year complaining that they don't make fair wages or are broke. We need to remember that we are representatives of Christ. He calls us, even as he called Peter to feed his sheep.

 

May God help all of his representatives to feed his sheep; to help carry the burdens of others so that they might find rest. The followers and representatives of Jesus the Christ must step up and do this as it seems quite apparent that our elected representatives don't have much of a clue as how to do this.

Pr. J

Rise and Shine!

Ephesians 5:14

I woke up a bit late this morning. A younger (but, not that young) person in my house got me up about 6:00 a.m.. This is a good thing! A few months ago, it was me waking her up sometime not too long before noon on many days. This morning, she was wide awake and anxious to see if she had work today or not. She is learning.

She is learning that with privilege comes responsibility. She is learning that there is a cost to things that we desire. The cost is that sometimes (no, often) we have to get up and work for those things that we want and need. Even the necessities of life are not a given. Someone has to work for them.

How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
    When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want, like an armed warrior.
                                   Prov 6:9-11

Wake us, dear Lord, that we might serve you most fruitfully, glorifying your holy name.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Joel 1 - Hunger and Poverty

The prophet Joel takes a slightly different approach than the other prophets. He is a gentler prophet. As he reminds them of their poverty, he begs them to repent. In sorrow, for a starving people, he reminds them that their only help is in the LORD.

But, will they? Will they listen to Joel any better than they listened to any of the other prophets?

So many hungry people in the world today, both physically hungry and spiritually. Entire regions starving as crops will not flourish. Economies have been devastated. Self-proclaimed prophets, exalting themselves, have proclaimed words that leave the soul both hungry and thirsty.

Will we turn to the LORD who is our only hope and salvation?

God's Peace - Pr. J

Ecclesiastes 9 - Welcome Your Neighbor; Help Those in Need

There is a lot to reflect on in this chapter as there is in any chapter. As I keep reminding you, this blog is to help you continue reading your Bible one chapter at a time. The blog entries are simply my first impressions and random thoughts after I read the chapter. It is meant to help you study and think about what the word is saying to you and to all of us as a whole.

A couple things jumped out at me this morning. First, is the way I dress. As Solomon talks about living a joyful life, he writes: "Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil." (Eccl 9:8 NIV)

On a recent retreat with our youth, I somehow managed to forget to bring a coat. Temperatures were in the 30's and it was raining. I had to buy a jacket. It was white with pictures of bears on it. My other jackets and coats are all black. After we got back, I wore this jacket to the church. I received a compliment on the jacket from a friend. She was glad to see me out of black. It being the middle of Lent, I had not just been wearing my black outerwear, but had also had occasion to be  wearing a lot of black skirts and suit jackets - more than usual. I often talk to my grandchildren about dressing appropriately as people who don't know you will often judge a person by what they see. Wrong first impressions have a tendancy to build walls and cause problems that aren't even there. Until this friend told me that it was nice to see me in something besides black, I hadn't realized that people may have been seeing my life in Christ as depressing.  

Years ago, I was a Lutheran missionary to a church without walls. The "church" covered a couple counties. The mission was to build up "house" churches in homes, a store front, a community center, even a couple of historic churches that were no longer in use in remote communities. Most people welcomed me quite warmly as the local missionary. A few years after I had moved to another county and another call, I went kayaking around the counties I had previously served. I remember one stop where I had previously felt especially welcomed. This time, I was wearing camouflaged pants and jacket over my swimsuit and had sandals on my feet. This time, I was not welcomed. It was if I was a stranger in their midst. Many did not even recognize me or at least they acted like they didn't. Actually, it was kind of strange, because it was mainly the Lutherans (I am Lutheran) who did not recognize me. Those who did recognize me and welcome me were Roman Catholic or Baptists. Go figure!

Human nature causes us to judge people by what they see and the day that I reentered that community, I entered looking like a vagabond. It is kind of sad when I think about it. Are we not called to welcome all people and to not show partiality to those who are rich or who have positions of authority? But, that is just what human nature leads us to. As for me, I will try to wear more light colored clothing so that the spirit of joy may be more apparent when I encounter others.

The other verses that struck me this morning were:

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.  (Eccl 9:17,18)

 

I'm thinking of all the noise this week on the news. So many opinions and so few facts! Not many quiet words - lots of loud shouting. News is news! Reporters these days do a bit too much surmising and before you know it people are thinking that what they are hearing are the facts. Need evidence! Need a fair trial! Not sure how I feel about martial law being imposed without it being called what it was - martial law. But, that's just me. I've heard a lot  (a lot of second guessing) about the two brothers who allegedly were involved in the Marathon Bombing. I've even heard crazy statements like parents are responsible for their children's actions even when their children are in their 20's and 30's! Just strange comments, that don't seem to have much wisdom attached and lead to confusion, fear, hurt, and even more anger. But, you know what? I have never heard how many people actually lost their homes in Texas in the fertilizer explosion. I never heard about the genuine needs of the people who were affected there. How we can help those people in need. This week, I've only heard about the need for more laws - more regulation (including from the highest office in this land) - not about how we can reach out to those who have been thrust into conditions that have put them on the fringes, put them in places of poverty and need.

 

Welcome your neighbor. Reach out to them in their time of need - no matter who or where they may be.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 28 - Rules Who Pursue Righteousness and Justice For all Wanted!

Proverbs 28 is chock full of wise sayings; sayings worth paying attention to and maybe changing one's life a bit. For example:

"The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion." (Prov 28:1 NIV) 
"A discerning son heeds instruction, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father." (Prov 28:7)
"Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their 
     fill of poverty." (Prov 28:19)
"The greedy stir up conflict, but those who trust in the Lord will prosper." (Prov 28:25)

The one that strikes home the most this morning is verse 2: "When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a ruler with discernment and knowledge maintains order."

I'm thinking that when a country has a strong leader, one that pursues righteousness for all people, one who does not pursue agendas either for the rich or the poor, for the strong or the weak. When a country has leader that will rule with justice for all people, then the people will be united with one another, helping and supporting the whole country in times of need. But, when the leader is weak, doing what is righteous in his own eyes, the people will go in many directions, following various leaders as they look for what is right for themselves, not for all people, and there will be much strife, as the people dispute amongst themselves, who shall be the greatest and who shall be the least.

Just praying for a bit more order in this country, today. There is way too much self-righteousness, where our leaders think they can do no wrong. There are way too many leaders, who lead with their egos, rather than with the discernment and knowledge of the wisdom and the will of God for all people, causing frustration and rebelliousness in the land.

Pray for this country, that the rebellious hearts of her people will be softened towards the needs of one another and of the country as a whole; that her rulers will lead with one heart and mind, trusting in the will of the LORD, so that we might once again prosper.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 24 - Too Much Sleep=Poverty

Hunting Island Lighthouse
 

Sayings 20 - 30 and more...


God provides us with many opportunities. He provides opportunities to do good or not to do good. He provides us with opportunities to work and to build up our houses, as well. He provides us with opportunities to build up our lives.

What will we do with these opportunities? 

"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man. "Provers 24:33-34.  

This poverty can be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.  Most often, I have seen that it can lead to poverty of all of the above. Poverty of any of these, due to sleeping too much, (that would be laziness) can eventually lead to the poverty of all.

There is another thing that I, quite often, hear that people desire and for whatever reason has been eluding them: that is to know what God's will is for them. The Psalms remind us that the word of God is the light which will help us on His way. "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path." (Psalm 119:105) Read the Holy Scriptures and you will hear His merciful and graceful word, His will, for you. You will understand the wisdom that He desires for you to hear and live by. "Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." (Prov 20:14)

"But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise," (Eph 5:13-15)

Listen!  And... live life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Proverbs 20 - Filled with the Spirit, not Wine

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." (Prov 20:1 NRSV)

Is it wise to drink and get drunk and fall down?
So that your neighbors and your children see you lieing on the ground?
Is it wise to drink and drive?
So that you put in jeopardy your neighbor's lives?
Is it wise to drink and sleep with your neighbor's wife?
It will surely ruin more than your life.

You probably get the point by my poorly written rhyme. Over-indulging in strong drink can easily lead one astray. Drunkenness leads to a lot of stuff, none of which is good!  It will ruin your health. It will lead your children to fear you (not healthy respect, but fear). It will lead to hospital visits, jail, and even the morgue. It will lead you to a life of poverty, both physical and spiritual. Even if it amounts to little more than being sick the next morning, why would you do something that is going to cause you to be ill and stay in bed or on the couch the whole next day? Cut it out!

"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."  Eph 5:17-20

Be filled with the Spirit of our LORD Jesus Christ and you will know more joy than any alcoholic drink or drug will ever provide. Drunkenness leads to destruction and death. The Spirit of Christ brings wholeness and life. Life life!

God's Peace - Pr. J

 

Proverbs 10 - A Wise Son Brings Joy

I'm thinking we may have forgotten to teach some of the this parable to the next generations, or maybe the generation before us forgot to teach it to us, or maybe it is as Proverbs 10:8 (NIV) says:  "The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin." Maybe it's not that we weren't taught, but that some simply refuse to listen.

This chapter is full of 2-liners like "Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth." (vs. 4) or "Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. (vs. 17) or "The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing." (vs 28)

It might even be a good thing for a confirmation class to do some digging into the book of Proverbs :) Just a little more memory work... Just kidding... I am hoping, though, that everyone is taking the time to read this Book. It is light enough reading that if you skip a day (which you shouldn't) you can take it in the next.

God's Peace - Pr. J.