Gems

I had some great God time on Sunday. I went with two of my favorite ladies to the Ledges park near Boone. We spent an afternoon hiking, wading in the creek and spending some individual time with the Lord. I read Proverbs 25-28 and I swear I underlined about 1/4 of what I read. So many gems! Here are a few of my favs:

"It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out." Prov 25:2

I have been impatient lately. I've been asking God questions about my future, like who am I going to marry? Where am I going to live someday? How will certain circumstances I'm in now pan out? "It is the glory of God to conceal things". I haven't been considering it GOD'S GLORY. I've been considering it God holding out on me. God spoke to me through this verse. "All in due time, Sarah. Just trust me." That leaves the ball in my court. Will I trust?

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love." -Prov 27:5

Rebuke is hard to take. I've experienced my share of rebuke done out of love and rebuke done out of anger. I'm learning to examine my heart and make SURE that my intention is love before I rebuke someone, because I sure know how hurtful it can be to the person when it's given in anger- it can create wounding that is hard to lose.

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." -Prov 27:6

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend". Wow. That struck me. "Profuse are the kisses of an enemy". Not as shocking there, but "Faithful are the wounds of a friend"? Wow. Never thought of it that way.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible:
"As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man." -Prov 27:19

I have been finding out recently first-hand that this verse is SO true. (Not that I necessarily need to experience everything in the Bible first-hand to believe it, but it's just nice when it does.... :) The heart of man cannot be hidden. Sooner or later, the inside intention and state of the heart is reflected through the man's actions, words, etc. It's sort of like God gave us a view of the "real" person inside each and every one of us through the heart. God views the heart. For some of us that is a comforting statement. For others of us, it's a scary statement. I've really been examining the state of my heart recently. I've found some pretty crummy stuff in there- but it's a good thing that my God is patient, loving and ABLE to purify me and make me white as snow. He's the only one who can. PTL.

"..the righteous are bold as a lion." -Prov.28:1b

O you, who consider yourself to be righteous-- are you bold as a lion? Wow. Something to strive for, that is for certain. Fear of the Lord is the only fear I want to experience. What sorts of things do YOU fear? My list gets pretty darn long. I strive to be more righteous and bold as a lion. With God on my side, how can I go wrong? Trust and faith are two things we cannot possibly have enough of.