Proverbs 12 & 13 - Day 292 (link to today's reading)
Scripture: Proverbs 13:12 Commentary: It is good for a person to have hope, but if it is not fulfilled for a long time (deferred means “put off or long drawn out”) then he experiences disappointment (his heart becomes sick). But when a hope is fulfilled (cf. vv. 4, 19), a person is refreshed. The gratification of hope gives encouragement like a tree that gives life (cf. tree of life in 3:18; 11:30; 15:4). Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 933). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Application: I started bumping into an old acquaintance, as I pulled weeds in my yard because her parents lived in our neighborhood. On one occasion, she excitedly shared her new radical prophetic views of Jesus' 2nd coming with me. She explained that we are in the "end times" and that it's important to live righteously, repent of our sins, and proclaim that Jesus is coming soon. I agreed with her, but rather than applaud my biblical views, she questioned my faith and teachings. Almost as if she doubted my sincerity. Then surprisingly, she gave me a specific timeframe of when Jesus would return. I gently reminded her of what Jesus himself said about the "times" and that only God the Father knew when everything would unfold. She deflected my response and reiterated that Jesus was coming back on such and such a date to fully restore all of creation back to Father God and to establish the new Jerusalem here on earth. I genuinely replied that I'm looking forward to that happening, but reminded her of what the bible says about false prophets. She didn't take my response too kindly and quickly made her exit. Well, the date she projected has come and gone but Jesus didn't establish the new Jerusalem. However, to her credit, the world did shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic and it felt like the end was near. I haven't seen her since our last talk. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. Our hope is (or should be) in Christ now. He has given us the Holy Spirit so we can experience God's kingdom now, as we expectantly wait for his second Advent. Prayer: Lord, Your will be done... Comments are closed.
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January 2024
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