Bragging On Jesus

Proverbs 15:12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise. Scoff, Scoff / Robin Aylor See if you notice any similarities in these examples with todays text. Some people get fighting mad when others play jokes on them… and yet one of their biggest thrills is to play jokes on others. That’s somewhat ironic I think. Some others like to give to people in need but would be humiliated to receive something from others and be thought of as the ones in need themselves. I’m pretty sure most criminals who enjoy shooting others definitely do not want to be shot themselves. I think it still works. Our text today is quite similar I think. It talks about a scoffer. A scoffer is proud.. he ridicules, mocks or scorns others… so scoffing can include reproving others in this kind of prideful way. Those who reprove others like this do not want to be reproved themselves.That’s why they won’t go to the wise for counsel. They don’t want the sinfulness of their own heart to be exposed. Proverbs 5:11-13 l

Today I want to talk about a story… a man from the Old Testament… Joseph. But first I want to ask you a question: Have you ever been done wrong or hurt or taken advantage of by others? Of course you have. Some of you may have been abused by a family member or maybe you were used or stolen from by a so called friend. Maybe you were lied to by someone you love. Everyone has been done wrong by someone; and everyone has done someone else wrong. Today I want us to look at Joseph… Remember Joseph in the Old Testament? Who can tell me how many brothers Joseph had? Who was his mother and father? Right. He had 11 brothers and Jacob or Israel was his father and Rachael was his mother. When Joseph was young his father made something for him… Do you remember? Genesis 37:3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. 4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could no

Proverbs 14:24 The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly. Normally we might only think of a king wearing a crown, but a person who is wise in things… say financial things… as a king rules over his empire they rule over their finances. And they wear another kind of crown. Their financial wealth is a crown that shows wisdom and expertise in that area. Also consider that the meaning of wealth is not restricted to money but can indicate abundance in other areas of life. It might be wealth in things or you may be rich in friends or a person may be said to have a wealth of knowledge. God calls us to be wise not only financially but with our time, eyes, mind and heart. And if we are there will be something to show for it… a crown if you will show who we are in all those areas. 
And how will you know know the fool in his folly when you see him? What will be the unforgettable eye catching crown he wears that tells of his expertise in the area of foolishness? It will be the folly fair

Proverbs 14:23 In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty. I used to own a restaurant in Prague Oklahoma. We had an extra large round table where coffee drinkers would congregate every morning. The round table became notorious as a place we would look forward to setting together in fellowship. We did what most people do over a cup of coffee; we talked. We talked about how people in our culture try to get the most for themselves by doing the least they can for others. We talked about how politicians buy votes by promising more to those who work less. Yes, and as we talked we solved many of the Worlds problems. We fixed Congress, straightened out the office of the President, we fixed the Nation, straightened out our State and our Town… Ironically, we said all the government did was talk, talk, talk and how they never got anything profitable done… and so we discussed how wrong everyone else was and how we would do things different if we ruled the world… and things would be oh so much bette

Proverbs 14:22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness. The #1 definition of the word “devise” on my dictionary says: “plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful thought”. So it seems that for one to devise evil… or good for that matter it takes intentional thought… and work. This may not be that important but I like double negatives. And though there’s not one in the verse answering the question requires one for it to be answered correctly. Notice this passage doesn’t ask whether people go astray who devise evil. If it did the answer would be oh yes they surly do go astray; but instead it ask: Do they not go astray who devise evil? So we must answer No… so… they do not, not go astray… or to put it anther way they do go astray. Double negatives are interesting. For example: * The two negatives in “I can’t get no satisfaction” by the Rolling Stones actually indicate they do get satisfaction since “can’t and “no” cancel o

Proverbs 14:20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor, but the rich has many friends. Well, let’s see… I think we all know the truth in this. There are certain kinds of people in the world who are friendly with people they think they can profit from. True? These people dislike and ignore those who they cannot gain from which much of the time tends to be the poor. It is common for people who have won lots of money or have received a large inheritance to be swarmed with folk who want to be their friends. Maybe you’ve seen the movie 2nd Hand Lions which is a great example of people claiming to be friends with the two best friends that came into lots of money. These greedy fair weather friends can be shallow leeches that attach themselves to people with money and live by sucking off of others life blood the way parasites do. They will stick close to them like a fly on a million dollar race horse. Shoot, partner, they might even be satisfied for a while just to swarm around the trail of poo they leave behind

Proverbs 14:19 The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous. In the world even today, wickedness cannot stand tall, confident and true in their heart in the presence of godly people walking in Christ. They run from Christ, remove themselves from the exaltation of Jesus or from the hearing of Gods word. Or if they stay, they are flooded with the Light of the Lord and who can stand firm in their own self righteousness before him? And so in our daily life we see this verse play out in some context… Those who reject Jesus will seek to remove themselves from the presence of believers who exalt Christ or they will begin seeking God and as they see his glory submit themselves to the Lord. In this context they do bow down to God before those who are righteous in Christ. 1st Corinthians 6:2 seems to indicate something related in some fashion. It says: Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?... So Believers will judge people like Adolf Hitler, Nero and even our neig

Proverbs 6:9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? Arise From Your Sleep Robin Aylor When researching the common land slug, at first I found no benefits for their existence. Upon further inquiry I found that slugs eat dead and dying organic matter and thereby releases nutrients which enrich the soil. There is a European black slug that eats dung and also lays its eggs in it. After hatching, the larvae live in the dung for three to four weeks. Look, God had a purpose in creating slugs. They are for his glory; but the focus of this proverb parallels their characteristic of living a life of very slow and little action. They are perceived as nasty, slimy and gross creatures that move slower than a sloth or the hour hand on a clock. Laziness is clearly a bottom of the barrel existence that feeds off of worthless desires leaving a stench of selfishness and a trail of mucus to mark it's path. Although laziness is a sin in itself, I suspect it can also be brought on by or

For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 6:25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread, but a married woman hunts down a precious life. So I’ve written a poem here and just to explain it a little… each verse begins with one of the four sections of this passage. Captured By Eyelashes robin aylor Do not desire her beauty in your heart Though her lines and shape be works of art When lust promises love by a-la-carte Don’t look back, run away, escape, depart And do not let her capture you with her eyelashes You’ll get twisted and tangled with deep bloody gashes When you try to escape you’ll be flung back to her latches Like a black widow she will drain you and blow on your ashes For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread Though a mere 60 cents in Bangladesh it is said The dirty bomb she carries is worse than a nuclear war-head On the soul of the man who when warned never fled But a marri

Today we’ll be looking at a crazy little thing called love. Well, it’s not really crazy…nothing could be more sane.. There’s many types of love. Our focus is not, well, on erotic love as in making love… and not affectionate love as in friendship… and not really umm kinship as in love that’s connected to family and relatives… Today we will look at Agape love and how it can be a cure for a horrible epidemic that has been sweeping the globe for a long time. It’s like a disease that cripples peoples lives and makes them un-useful in God’s kingdom and his work. It’s an outbreak of an epidemic called depression. So let’s begin looking at the cure. Agape love is the highest form of love. It is the type of love God has toward us when he gave his only Son to be paid the wages of our sin. Agape love within our life should come along side of the other types of love I mentioned strengthening the bond between friends as they walk through life together… improving the relationship of a man and wife in marriage and fortifyi

Proverbs 14:21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor. Whirly Bird And The Change Family by Robin Aylor The whole Change family including Willy, his wife Shallshe and son Woody detested their neighbors the Be-livers who lived next door in a small house. The dad was Izza Be-liver and the moms name was Ima. Their daughter was Truly with her middle name after her Mom; Ima. Their sons name was Scouts Honor and he was named after his dad with his middle name Izza. So there was Willy Change, Shallshe Change and Woody Change who lived next door to Izza Be-liver, Ima Be-liver, Truly Ima Be-liver, and Scouts Honor Izza Be-liver. The reason the Change family detested the Be-livers was because young Scouts Honor Izza Be-liver's dog Whirly Bird too often and regularly was regular on their lawn. At times every day Woody would look out the window and holler to his mother: "Whirly Bird is depositing more soft serve mom!" It really wasn't that bad because it hardened

Proverbs 11:11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown. Taming the Untamable Beast Daniel Castor Let’s start today’s devotion off with a riddle. I can come as soft as a whisper or as loud as a shout. And You better think twice before you let me slip out . I have the power to bless and the power to destroy. I can make quite a mess or bring peace and joy. What am I? The answer of course is, “Our words” This proverb reminds us of the power of the tongue. Not only can it do damage or bless on a small level, in one on one conversation. A husband using hurtful words to tear down his wife or a father speaking words of encouragement to his children... It can also Be used to bless or destroys on a large scale. Even entire cities can rise and fall by the words of those who reside in them. Less you think this is too far fetched The book of James compares the tongue to a flame of fire, a rudder of a ship and an untamable beast. This is no joke. Our words

Proverbs 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion. Shady Joe's “Shady Joe's impounds and tows” is a used car lot with friendly faces and “so called” honest sales men. You walk in and they greet you with a cup of coffee and get a feel for what kind of vehicle your looking for. Such nice people you may think. After 3 hours of chit chat and paperwork and back stories and complements, the sales man says “ congratulations! Your approved! And I have just what your looking for.” He leads you to the lot and to a lifted truck. All the chrome is there, the interior looks great through the window. New beefy tires and aftermarket rims. Custom paint and tented windows. It truly is a beautiful truck and it’s in your price range. But, something’s odd...the salesman is pushing you to make a decision without starting it and he avoids popping the hood. He makes a big deal about all the features and what people will think of you while your driving it. You have a decision to make here. B

Proverbs 14:18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge. Prudence and Simplicity are basically opposites. Since Proverbs 8:12 says: “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,…” as though Prudence is a person I will call both Prudence and Simplicity female as Solomon does with Wisdom. Ok, so who are these ladies? Prudence is thoughtful and she seriously considers a matter before making a decision while Simplicity does whatever she wants in the moment and does not consider the consequences. Simple Sally watches TV all day long. She's just keeping it simple. Apathetic Allen doesn’t want to get involved with others in messy relationships. He cares mostly about himself, thus keeping it simple. These kind of simpletons are relatives to the lady Simplicity and do not care to think about the consequences of their actions; they do not plan or care much about the future or their purpose in life but rather it is me, me, me and it’s now, now, now. The examples could go on and on because the world is

Proverbs 11:24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. 26 The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. As We Give We Are Made Able To Give Robin Aylor Notice Solomon does not say "all" who give freely will each one always grow richer in money… it gives an example and says "one"… so sometimes it does happen. And he does not say that every person who withholds will become poor financially but he gives an example in contrast that we may learn. I think he is saying that when you see these two types of people in life and their relationship to money and giving, there is a lesson in it for you for all areas of life. It seems to me that the next two verses show us the context of the passage. This time Solomon does not generalize but uses the inclusive relative pronoun “whoever” and gives the definite verb “will”.

Proverbs 14:17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated. Ammonia and Bleach Two Great Cleaners That Don't Go Good Together! Robin Aylor Here Solomon mentions evil devices. I think a wicked heart can turn anything into an evil device. There are many devices throughout time that have by some been considered evil. Here’s a few... Think about theses and see if you believe they are evil devices in themselves or only when used by wicked men? The buildings where Hitler sent thousands to be gassed to death.
 The chemicals Saddam Hussain used on his own people.
 
 What about the Internet
, TV, Books and Magazines?
 Do you think these are evil devices in themselves: A rock,
 a knife
... a Gun?
 What about a Nuclear weapon? A feather (for tickling)
? Ok, that last one was only a joke although on occasion it has seemed like a torture device where my only screams were screams of laughter. But it dose seem to me that there are some devices that were created by man specifically

Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath. Robin Aylor Whether it’s a book, movie or TV show, I don’t know of anyone who actually likes a bad ending to a story. Usually a bad ending I think would entail evil somehow winning out at the end of the day… Those kinds of stories don’t seem to sell at the box office. What if an evil ruler with his army conquers a just king and his kingdom?… then this new evil ruler kills the just king and takes his beautiful daughter to be his wife… if he then tortures the people of the kingdom and they live unhappily ever after… and finally the words appear… THE END… and the credits roll… No! No! I don’t know any stories like that. ... I think justice ties up all the loose ends because deep inside God created us all with a moral compass. Still yet for some crazy reason, in real life the wicked person decides to go ahead and follow his heart. All his desires for pleasure, wealth, power and prestige get him out of bed e

Proverbs 14:15 The simple believes everything, but the prudent gives thought to his steps. 16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. "I Am A French Male Model" Robin Aylor You may have seen the commercial a few years back about the lady who dates a French male model she met over the internet? She believes that everything he says about himself is true; because they can’t put it on the internet if it’s not true. And where does she say she heard that everything on the internet is true? The internet of course. “Bonjour!" Though this is meant to be funny and sarcastic, yet with a striking hint; the questions still begs: Are humans really this naive? The peoples of India worship thousands of gods. I understand there is a temple dedicated to rats which are honored as being reincarnated. They run free around and over humans and are pampered as their loved ancestors. It’s no wonder how easily people are sucked up into the newest religious vacuum. What? Do I

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com ​Proverbs 1:2 To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Teachable Me R Aylor In these modern times we desperately need the wisdom and instruction these verses speak about. However, as it goes there seems to be only a limited number of teachable moments in any given day. We rush to and fro, here and there only to pull out our smart phones (me included) at the first sign of a pause instead of looking to God and thinking about him. He wants our acknowledgment. He wants more. He wants our worship. Looking back in my life, I think some of my best testimonies for Christ came as others watched me desperately seeking Gods will for my own life just as I was beginning to unpack and take him in. It’s easy to lose that earnestness we once had. It's got to be a daily thing. Every hour

Proverbs In 365 Devotions For more go to braggingonjesus.com Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel: Pondering King Solomon R Aylor As I consider the life of Solomon, David's son and third king of Israel, I am reminded of many things. Firstly of the sin of his father David’s sexual impurity with Bathsheba; then David’s repentance and God’s merciful forgiveness. It is also amazing to me to think of how God still ordained the Messiah be born in the lineage of David and then Solomon through Bathsheba. (Solomon was also called Jedidiah, which means beloved of The Lord; see 2nd Samuel 12:24-25.) Next, my mind goes to Solomon’s prayer as a young man, asking God for an understanding heart to judge the Lord’s people; and to discern between good and bad. 1st Kings 3:11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do