We are instructed to,“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”  in Proverbs 4:23 KJV  I particularly like this translation of the verse from the King James Version of the Bible, because of the word, “KEEP”.  At the time the translation was being produced the “Keep” was a fortified structure located in the interior sections of a castle.  According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archeology 2002 as Keep is,

A strongly fortified residence of a king or lord in which the KEEP, which may be freestanding or surrounded by a defensive enclosure, is the principal defensive feature. 

According to Wikipedia,

“The keep is the most defended area of a castle, and as such may form the main habitation area, or contain important stores such as the armory, food, and the main water well, which would ensure survival during a siege.”

The relationship between the word, “Keep” and the KJV is that the translation was completed in 1611 during a time when the Keep was in common use in castles and other fortified structures. The translation clearly indicates that the human heart, (mind) the seat of human thought must be protected from assault and siege at all cost.  It is the most precious possession of all human life. 

It is the point of genesis for our thought life and therefore determines the course of our actions, habits and destiny.  The Today’s English Version (TEV) interprets the passage in the following way,

“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts”

We are what we eat, and we become what we allow into our minds.  It is an act of futility to attempt to behave in a manner that is inconsistent with how you see yourself.  The truth is that we have a body image, and our eating habits, exercise habits and health maintenance habits all conspire to achieve the image we have of ourselves.  To change your body, you must change your body image. 

Dr. Maxwell Maltz, the famed author of Psychocybernetics discovered that his plastic surgery patients continued to see themselves as unattractive even after he had successfully performed surgery.  He concluded that you must address the thought patterns which create the self-concept to align them with the goal of plastic surgery to be successful.  What does this mean?  It simply confirms the scriptures, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”

The quality of life you either enjoy or dislike is driven by the quality of the contents of your “Keep”.  The wisdom of God advises and instructs us to place our minds under constant guard against the ideas and concepts that lay siege to it.  We experience a constant barrage of images and stimuli all designed to rewrite your self-concept and your root values. 

There are some things we should not expose ourselves to; simply because they have a profound, albeit insidious impact upon the contents of our "Keep".  Unfortunately, what goes into the "Keep" is only half the problem.  It is what comes out of the "Keep" that makes the difference.

The King James translation says, “Out of it are the issues of life.”  The issue of life is the blood that flows through your body and keeps you healthy and alive.  The implication is that a contaminated "Keep", produces diseased and dying issues. 

The wisdom of God translated in The TEV, plainly states the promise and the problem.  How you think, shapes how you live. Your thought life and the things which influence it may result in a distorted and deformed life.  The true power of this passage of scripture is that no one is strong enough to withstand the impact of destructive influences.  You may believe you are, but the witness of scripture begs to differ.

Since the first word was committed to ink in the first mechanically published volume by Johannes Gutenberg generations have sought power for each succeeding one through literacy.  Why is this true? It is true because, if you can read and understand what you have read, then you can glean and benefit from the knowledge and experiences of the past.  No longer does each person have to invest the personal time and pain necessary to acquire wisdom.

Reading the experiences and conclusions drawn from other people’s pain and growth can become the vicarious source of our progress and prosperity.   There is an African proverb which says,

“It is a mystery, why the child must bump their own head.” 

Each succeeding generation bumps their head on the same low hanging beams of life.  The bumps are not necessary, because there are signs, maps and markers warning each generation to duck, detour and dodge the source of our bumps and bruises.

This series is dedicated to offering wisdom that empowers you and your progeny to save yourself some of the bumps and bruises of life.  The source of the wisdom is the Biblical Proverbs found in the book titled the same.  The hope is that you will benefit from the ancient wisdom and prosper from past generation’s painful life lessons without the pain. 
 
An eagerness to grow that is supported by a willingness to learn is the first quality of a wise person.  Proverbs 18:15 records,

“Intelligent people are always ready to learn, their ears are open for knowledge.” 

An earlier version of the New Living Translation interpreted the second portion of this passage in this way, “In fact they seek it out.”

The Bible tells us that intelligence or wisdom comes as the result of learning and that learning is connected to hearing knowledge.  The Bible asserts in this small passage of scripture that a person who is not ready to learn and who is not looking for or open to knowledge is not intelligent.  The New International Version (NIV) uses the word, “Discerning” in place of “intelligent people” suggesting that the chief skill is the ability to decide between options when presented with multiple choices. 

The NIV suggests that the person who does not seek knowledge and who is unready to learn when presented with new knowledge is also unable to discern between options when they are presented.  A person who is unable to discern may be easily tricked by people who take advantage of their lack of discernment.

Typically we are not confronted with one clearly good and one clearly bad option.  Many times we have to discern between the good, the better and the best options.  When presented with no clearly bad options it is difficult to decide which option to exercise.  The only remedy for poor discernment is the solution prescribed in Proverbs 18:15;

Prepare to learn and seek knowledge that empowers you to become more intelligent.  According to the Chambers Dictionary, intelligence is:

“The ability to use memory, knowledge, experience, understanding, reasoning, imagination and judgment in order to solve problems and adapt to new situations.”

Ultimately, intelligence is about solving problems as we encounter them.  If we don’t acquire enough knowledge that empowers us to solve problems, then we become dependent upon others to solve our problems for us.  Rest assured that we will never be pleased with the solutions others create for us.  Ignorance makes you a victim, knowledge empowers you to prosper.  You choose!

Jesus Instructs in Matthew 5:33-37 in this way,

“Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Spiritual Integrity is a Discipline that produces a result in the disciple, but also offers benefits to the unbeliever.  Your exercise of spiritual integrity produces an inner strength that empowers the believer to stand against accusation and assault; confident in the knowledge that they are who they profess to be.  There is a ministry to the world in integrity among believers.  When believers behave in a manner that is consistent with their testimony about themselves, the Witness to Christ is strengthened in the world. 

As a spiritual discipline, Spiritual Integrity is a make or break proposition.  We are called to live before men that they may see our good works and glorify God in heaven. 

We do this by living as representatives of Christ. Our integrity is the only means by which we can demonstrate our kinship with Christ.  We are told, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”  (Colossians 3:20 NIV.)  We are Christ’s representatives and the world will credit or discredit the Cause of Christ by virtue of the works that we do as His disciples.  We can claim that our failures do not impact the work of Christ but we can bring reproach against the “name of Christ” and thereby diminish the witness of the Saving Work of Christ in the lives of those we say we were saved and called to serve.

Should we fail the Spiritual Integrity test before the world, we in fact expose the Cross of Christ to public ridicule. The public spectacle disciples make of the Cross is a reverse of the Word of God which says,

“When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

We make the Word of God and the Work of Christ a public spectacle by living as though it has no authority over our lives.  What Paul is teaching us is that our “worth” will be measured by how we live out our lives as disciples.  This is not to say that God values any one more highly than another, for the scripture teaches that the Father is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11).  God loves His children equally, and showed His Love, by the sacrifice He made on our behalf.

Paul is giving voice and expression to an old saying that “Our word is our worth and our worth is our word.”  In the Hebrew mind, there was no distinction between word and deed; therefore to make a statement of commitment was as much the act, as the act itself

Perhaps a further illustration will make this issue clear. Let’s suppose that a married couple decide to have a child. When the wife becomes pregnant she decides that she will stop smoking because of the potentially negative effect that it will have on the unborn child. The discipline that is required is only really possible because the pain of staying the same became greater than the pain of change. It is this principle that moves us to claim any discipline, it is the dream of some greater thing that the discipline will make available to us by being obedient to the vision.

Proverbs 16:26 tells us, “It is good for workers to have an appetite; an empty stomach drives them on.”

The writer of Hebrews teaches powerful truths that will either disciple us or we can ignore and fail to reap the benefit of God’s Wisdom as revealed in it. As disciples we must ask ourselves, who will be our master, in other words, by what discipline will I live and thrive? The issue is one of whose leadership will I accept over my life.

Paul tells us in Philippians 3: 7& 8 that he counts all things that were important to him as unimportant “in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. Paul goes on to write that:

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear friends, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus is calling us up to heaven. (NLT)

Here we find Paul describing his striving to reach the end. Paul is revealing a principle of growth and development in that he tells us that we too must stretch and grow into greater responsibility. Paul also reminds us to not allow the past to define our future, but to inform our future. It is in this idea, of looking forward, that we find the standard that Paul makes later reference to.

The New American Standard Bible translates Philippians 3:16 in the following way: “...however let us keep living by that standard to which we have attained.” The standard of the discipled life is the life of Jesus Christ, but not only the life, it is the entire Christ event from birth through death and resurrection continuing into His resurrected Lordship. With Christ Jesus as the standard by which we live then the words that He spoke have new meaning for each disciple as we make progress in growth through the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus says in John 12:32, “And when I am lifted up on the Cross, I will draw everyone to myself.” Here we find the standard of self-giving Love being raised as the standard of discipled relationships. It will be this act of love that we as disciples will hold up to the world as the model or standard of true redeeming, life giving love. It is the model of God giving His Life for a rebellious, hateful, bunch of children to save their lives that will draw men and women to Christ.

This love must manifest itself in the way that disciples love one another, because it is the standard of continuing discipleship. So if we are to raise a banner, a standard above our camp to clearly identify the rule and law of our community as all standards are raised to do. Let us make the empty cross the standard that we raise, representing the Love of God in the sinless life, death, resurrection and Lordship of Jesus the Christ.

No one has ever become physically strong until they willingly and purposefully pick up a weight, or engage in resistance training. In either instance the result of picking up some weights or resisting weights, is power and strength. The same is true of discipleship. We must pick up our cross daily and follow Christ, and we must resist the power of our carnal minds to build real spiritual strength.

Spiritual strength can not be developed in the laboratory of Bible Study, or the Sunday morning pew during preaching time. Spiritual strength is developed when you gain wisdom and knowledge through Bible Study and The Preached Word, and then practice them in your daily life and interaction with people and problems. It is the exercise of what you receive through preaching and teaching that makes them priceless and makes you powerful. God tells us in Hebrew 12:5-11,

5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:“ My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.” 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? 8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! 10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

We ought to revel in the honesty of God’s Word as He acknowledges through the writer of Hebrews that, “No Discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.” We ought to take away from this a profound truth, that God’s desire is not to make you happy in the short term by providing a life of ease, without struggle. No God is more concerned with the life you will live that produces joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, the Fruit of the Spirit. The Father knows that the only way to achieve this life is through a life of discipline.

God says that those who are trained by discipline experience a harvest of righteousness and peace. The benefits of discipline and ultimately a discipled life are right living and the assurance that your life will be delivered safely to its appointed destination. We are made certain of our calling and election by the discipline we engage and by the product of that discipline in our lives.

We are instructed through Peter in 2 Peter 1:3-8 as God says,

“3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Each of us is called to ministry, some of us are called to an ordained ministry which serves the Church (God’s People), empowering them with knowledge and skills necessary to do the work of the Church. Most of us are called to live as disciples before a world separated from God by disobedience and ignorance. While some are called to a lifetime of ordained clergy, others are called to ministry where we serve people and do the work of the church. God tells us this in Ephesians 4:12&13

Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

The Mark of A Maturing Disciple

The Unity in our Faith is the first mark of our maturing discipleship. The oneness of our faith may signify two different things for disciples.

1.It may suggest that the unity of all disciples in our personal profession of faith is essential to the process of maturity. There is no question that God calls the church to unity. The 1st Century Church always spoke of the Unity of Faith as being signified by the Cloak of Jesus Christ which was without seam as recorded in John 19:23&24.

23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout. 24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said, They parted my raiment among them, and for my clothing they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.

There is some validity for this view of this scripture. We see earlier in Ephesians 4:4-6 the following words:

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

If the church is being called to Oneness of Faith as a profession of our collective belief, then we must ask the question, “Have we failed to fulfill the calling of Christ in our contemporary expression of Church?” Is unity of Faith a demand upon the Church as a community of believers worldwide or is it a call to the individual disciple as he/she matures and grows into the full stature of Christ?

2.The Scripture in Ephesians may also point to a truth that we as individual disciples must grow and develop into the full stature of Christ. Our hope in Christ and His saving work in our personal lives is just that; personal. Are we being called to live in Unity of Faith, being without divided allegiances? Are we being admonished to live by Faith and to discard Fear; which fragments our power as believers?

Perhaps God is calling for a unity of what we believe and what we do, so that our lives might be evidence of what we say we believe about Christ. James 1:5-8 calls for an oneness of faith and action in order to experience the real blessings God offers. It may in fact be both which God is calling His People to do and to be.

God instructs us through Peter as he says,

“...and all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble. So humble yourselves under the might power of God, and in His good time He will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you.” (I Peter 5:5b-7 NLT)

“Don’t be selfish; don’t live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don’t think only about your own affairs, but be interested in other, too, and what they are doing.” (Philippians 2: 3-4 NLT)

Apparently there is a relationship between selfishness and the absence of humility. But let’s be clear about this, no one outside of you, can humble you. Humbleness is not a lowly state, in fact as we have seen through scripture it is the prelude to honor and exaltation. God is teaching us that the correct perspective of who we are is the key to fulfilling His requirements for our lives. Philippians 2 goes on to say

“Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form.”

Jesus assumed this position for the benefit of others, namely you and me.

This is the root of humbleness; it seeks the benefit of others, even when it will not tangibly benefit us. We have the example of Jesus Christ to follow as we seek to understand and become the people that God has created us and called us to become as we walk humbly with God through life to life eternal.

God continues in Micah 6:8 and says, “Love Mercy” as one of the three requirements of God for the personal Walk. The act of Mercy is the truest act of Grace in the disciple’s life. Jesus demands Mercy of His disciples as evidenced in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:12, “...and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.” Forgiveness is an act of mercy that is extended to those who have offended you. Mercy is an act of sacrifice that mirrors and act of Love.

It is interesting that God requires that we “Love Mercy”. What are the implications of Loving Mercy? One is simply that we pursue the things that we truly LOVE. We will do the things that we Love ungrudgingly and we will do it without having to be told. In fact, if we Love Mercy, then we will look for places and people to demonstrate mercy.

Mercy is almost always applied in circumstances where one person is at a distinct disadvantage in relationship to the person who has the clear advantage. Mercy mediates Justice, in that it does not always repay people according to what they deserve but rather in proportion to what they truly need to foster restoration and renewal. There is not greater example of Mercy than we find in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for people who hated His very appearing.

God tells us plainly of His Mercy in Romans 5:6-10

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, no one is likely to die for a good person, though someone might be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed His Great Love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right win God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be delivered from the eternal punishment by His life."

This is the substance of Mercy that it takes people who are even your enemies and applies a measure of Love so profound that it overcomes the power of vengeance. Jesus told us to Love our Neighbor as We Love Ourselves. It is the heart of the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10:30ff) in the Scriptures. The Samaritan was hated, even despised by the very man he helped, yet He did not hesitate to work to restore His enemy to health and wellness; this is mercy.

 Next Week: Walk Humbly With Your God!

What does God mean when He says, “Do what is right.”? This is the minimum daily requirement of the discipled, Godly Walk. God requires that His disciples deal with other people in a fashion that does not make them into liars and thieves. If you make an agreement with someone, then honor your agreement with them. Go requires that our words and our actions match one another. At the end of the day, we can believe that we have done what is right if we have done the most loving thing in our interactions with people as we move about day by day.

God commanded Israel to use just scales and standards of trade.

“Do no use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or volume. Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry goods or liquids must be accurate. I the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the Land of Egypt.” (Leviticus 19:35-36 NLT)

God goes on to say in the Proverbs,

“The Lord demands fairness in every business deal; He sets the standard.” 16:11

In the 20th chapter God says,

“Divers weights and divers measures, both of them are alike abominations to the Lord.” 20:10 KJV

The New Living Translation of the same verse says,

“The Lord despises double standards of every kind”

Doing the right thing as a disciple of the Living Lord Jesus Christ is a challenge to live with exact standards that are applied to everyone in daily matters of living. Then is there a difference between “Favor” and “Unjust standards”? God tells us that “Favor” is a consequence of Loyalty and Kindness. Proverbs 3:3

The unjust standards condemned in the Scripture are standards that are clearly used to benefit the person using the standards and to defraud the person at the other end of the transaction. An unjust standard is rooted in a Lie, which is the seed and substance of all Sin.

It is clear that doing what is right or using just standards is a clear mandate from God to His believing Children. When we are just in our interactions with others, then God shows us “Favor”.

Next Week: Love Mercy

There is an old bit of wisdom, “Every tub gotta sit on its own bottom!” that applies to the Godly Walk. Each of God’s created children must stand before Him alone and experience the Great Reckoning. The scriptures plainly state this truth,

"16": For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. "17": For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. "18": He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18 KJV)

As we see in this passage the work of God in Christ is large enough to cover the entirety of God’s Earth-bound creation, yet it only applies to those who believe. The Godly Walk is a personal walk with God that takes place in the context of a larger community of Believers. The work of Salvation is a personal experience with Christ that no one else can have for another. The truth is that we must walk with the Lord for ourselves. The Prophet Micah tells us this as the Echo of God in the chapter 6:8

“No, O People, The Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” (New Living Translation)

The Godly Walk is a personal walk that demands a certain standard for the life that authentically walks humbly with God.

The Standard of The Godly Walk

God tells us here three things that He REQUIRES; “Do What Is Right”, “Love Mercy” and “Walk Humbly With Your God.” The natural question that will arise from the earlier statement is simply how do I do what God is requiring of me to do?

The standard is modeled for us in the Scriptures. It is clearly outlined in the life of Godly Men and Women in the Word and most particularly in the Godly Life of Jesus Christ. It is equally important to note that if God requires it of us, then it is something that we can do and therefore, we must do in order to be called Godly.

The hope of our lives is found in the Joy we have in Salvation. It is the Work of God in Christ that redeems us and not our deeds. Our deeds are simply a response to the Great Work of Salvation that God has done through Jesus Christ.

Next Week:  Doing What is Right!