Tag: character

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Kindness is the character of God.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I would guess that most of our culture truly believe that someone just made up the word kindness, separating it from the character of God! Words like kindness and love have been marketed, capitalized and promoted to buy and sell product as well as pass around the “good feels” of being nice to one another. But these words have their origin in God’s original design of how he created humans to be. We broke (and break) that relationship with God, with each other and with the earth itself.

The Hebrew word, “checed” used in this verse for “kindness” is far richer in meaning. It means favor or goodness being given and received in our interactions and expressions with and from God, as well as from and towards one another. It is much deeper than just being nice! It goes further and than just being “Minnesota nice” – which is a GOOD stereotype of people from Minnesota being reserved, polite, friendly, and non-confrontational, often used to describe their behavior of being helpful and friendly in public. It is a deep, consistent, commitment to treating others better than yourself. In the New Testament kindness (chréstotés) is powerful enough, Paul says, to lead us to repentance! Paul also lists it as a fruit of the Spirit, a benignity forged by listening to and following the Spirit’s leading instead of our selfish, fleshy ways! This isn’t just being nice, it’s behaviorally mirroring one of God’s attributes.
The NLT translation also uses the word loyalty, for the Hebrew word, “emeth,” which is a faithfulness embedded in truth. In the Old Testament this word “emeth,” or its root word, “aman” is a powerfully supportive, nourishing word, often used for speaking of a foster-mother or father.

This duo of displaying fostered-favorability means that in return we find grace from God and humankind, thus earning a stellar reputation. Proverbs, in instructing the young on how to build out their own lives, puts a premium on behaving like God. This both pleases God, but also has a pleasant ROI on character investment into others. As we know reputations are difficult to achieve and easily lost. Keeping a “fostered-favoring” towards others helps us display the fruits of the Spirit and reflect the image of our God! Every time we are faithful and show favor we behave towards others like God behaves towards us.

Prayer

Dad,
This powerful Proverb brings home the point that Jesus made in the New Testament. “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Your own faithfulness, your own favor of grace and mercy has been lavished out on me again and again. It is very humbling to see that happening in my life everyday! More than just building a godly life and having a godly reputation, it is amazing to me that I even have the capacity for good towards others. Because of your Spirit within me, I am daily challenged to see every person through your eyes of grace. Thank you for the opportunity to display the fruit of the Spirit in ordinary moments with people whom you love and to know that you are fiercely working and wooing them towards yourself. Amen.

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We are what we speak.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fine speech is not becoming to a fool; still less is false speech to a prince. Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Proverbs is so good at comparing and contrasting concepts and character. ESV (English Standard Version) translation captures the punny play on words here, with the words “fine” and “false.” In this little proverb, there is a lot of truth packed into the words and rhythm of speaking it out loud. Just say the words, fine, fool and false out loud.

Words that describe us as humans, are a glimpse of our character, and become pretty sticky and consistent over time. In other words, people get to know us by our words. And, either the words we use match our behaviors, or they don’t – both outcomes are very telling!

The wisdom writers point out that you should not hear trash-talk coming from true royalty, or a leader for example. They use the comparison between a fool (nabel: wicked, stupidly evil – used 18 times in the Old Testament, only 3 of those in Proverbs), and a Prince. They juxtapose “nabel” with “nadib.” Nadib is used for nobility, a prince, a leader. The word Prince means one who generously incites to good. The noble lips drip with “yether,” abundant excellence, the evil fool with “sheqer,” lies and deception.

Does our character define our vocabulary or do our words define our character?

Rant warning! Is it just me or has there been a massive increase in public potty mouth? It’s not just F-bombs either. Folks used to apologize for potty-mouth words! My grandmother was a cusser. She would would go off with a Sailor’s string of profanity, but often end with “excuse my french.” I didn’t think those words sounded French, nor did I know if the French were constantly using swear words in their country. We have lost our “ability of civility” to control our potty mouths! It’s just not cute to hear a five year old drop F, S, or B words in casual kindergarten conversation! The only reason swearing isn’t on “public” television or “OTA” (over the air), is because the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) fortunately, still makes it illegal. Cable, satellite and streaming are not held to any standards even though the content is sent directly to homes with children watching! BTW, it’s ridiculous that somehow “Christian” freedom has been cited for believers to sound like trashy potty-mouths! End of rant.

Proverb’s wisdom still speaks today! The trust in leaders has been completely eroded away in our culture! We know that when a politician, media spokesperson or anyone defending themselves in the spotlight opens their mouth they are LYING. Do we want good character? Then we should should quit sounding like fools!

Prayer

Dad,
Oh my goodness, we’ve got ourselves is a mess! It’s a mess that only you can resolve. Help us O’ God. We ask for your forgiveness, your mercy. As we yield to you, renew and restore our sense of right vs wrong, truth vs lies, good words vs evil ones. We cry out to you. Lord, hear our prayer.

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A Sailor’s Life?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I wonder if Peter had a sailor’s mouth, or a fisherman’s mouth at least. I know he was Jewish, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t struggle with the workman’s culture of talking up the weekend or the night out with the guys. Peter wasn’t always a saint.

Here in his letter to the Church he lays down the admonishment of better behavior now that Christ had redeemed their lives. He generalizes getting rid of all evil behavior, but then gets more specific. The general word, “kakia” is wickedness, better understood as an intentional desire to injure. Wow! Right? Proverbs talks a lot about intentional wickedness in a couple of Hebrew words for fool, the worst of the two is Nabal: an obsession to do wrong, causing pain to anyone and everyone. Peter encourages those to cold-turkey-quit several evil habits that are inappropriate for followers of Jesus. Eliminate deceit. The word “dolos,” baiting the naive, employing decoys to snare people, especially the innocent. Kick hypocrisy. The word, “hupokrisis,” someone acting under a mask. A theater term used to describe a performance by actors playing a part. If you’ve ever been around theater people you know that are able to quickly move in and out of roles, alternating their voice and persona to fit the part. In relationships, we want to be known for who we really are, and not some projection of a fake representation of ourselves. For jealousy, Peter uses the word, “phthonos,” or envy. A jealous envy that negatively “energizes” someone with an embittered mind, conveying “displeasure at another’s good.” Whoa, that one hurts! How often do I de-celebrate another’s success or accomplishment? Unkind speech is “katalalos,” a defamer. A person that slanders, employs back-biting, and tries to de-rail a person’s life!

Getting rid of these qualities just reminds me of the power of transformation and the character of Christ who creates this change in me. Given my nature and proclivity, I would likely be deceitful, possibly even hypocritical, envious and slanderous all just to get what I want! Wouldn’t that make sense if I didn’t live by a godly code of conduct? Maybe I get ahead, make more money or just get there faster than people around me. Believe it, that is a lot folks “truth.” I like how Peter tells us that getting rid of these qualities helps us grow into what he writes is the “full experience” of salvation! The word, “auksánō,” is to grow and it is key to authentic discipleship.

Prayer

Dad.
Do I lead a life of former thoughts, attitudes and behaviors? Not always. And, certainly not purposefully! Do I strive to lead the counter-life of Jesus? Do I yield more and more to the Holy Spirit allowing him to lead and guide me into this “full experience” of salvation as Peter says? I sure hope so. I often check and catch my thoughts just before they come out as behaviors (translated: WORDS). Should I be thinking this? Should I be a dualistic life? Should I be celebrating someone’s failure? These are the small decisions of detail that form who I becoming, right? I want to keep growing and maturing becoming like Jesus!

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Real men are not fools.

Reading Time: 3 minutes 
“While I was at the window of my house, looking through the curtain, I saw some naive young men, and one in particular who lacked common sense.” Proverbs‬ ‭7:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Wisdom, personified as someone looking out of the window of their house, sees young men. I don’t know what kind of neighborhood wisdom lived in but wow, she could look out and see some solicitation happening right across the street!

She sees young men and specifically the one who lacked common sense. What she saw was one of the four words the wisdom writers use for “fool.” Did you know there were four Hebrew words for fool? 1. Keciyl- stupid or silly, 2. Pethiy- seducible or simple, 3. Eviyl- perverse, and 4. Nabal- wicked (for more – bit.ly/biblefool).

Here the word “naive” in other translations is “simple” and yep, you guessed it, the seducible kind. I totally believe that wisdom looks out and sees this in some young men.

However, I’ve seen a lot of “simple” men (not just young) in my life. I used to think these were men who had horrible-to-none father figures, but some had/have great Dads and they just want to be knuckleheads.

I look out my own window and see plenty! I see young men race through neighborhoods, not caring about young children darting out in the street. I hear young men “sharing” their over-driven, expensive, testosterone fueled stereos leaving car alarms blaring and windows shaking. I see really expensive cars, all customized and tricked out with all the bling that could have gone into a ring for their girl. I see prison tats and angry death-glares as they swagger down our street scoping out a score or peeing spray paint to tag a neighbors wall. I hear f-bombs dropped as they talk to their woman and illegitimate children in tow. Oh, I see and hear a lot of vibrato, but I do not see men or maturity. I see fools.

I drive though my city and see young boys, preschoolers walking with their moms. They are as cute and as innocent as can be. I pray they don’t grow up to be fools, but I also know about the vicious cycles of a macho culture that will leave them with few choices to follow wisdom.

My heart breaks. I, like wisdom herself, want to call out and beg them not to be seduced by all the evils of this world, all the easy opportunities to just grow up mirroring what they saw in their own estranged father.

These stories of the simple do not turn out well. The wisdom writers, speaking of the temptress, say, “Her house is the road to the grave. Her bedroom is the den of death.” Honestly, sex isn’t the only seduction – power is just as tempting. And young men who figure out “to be feared, is to be powerful,” mistake the real purpose of power. Real men, wise, mature men, know that real power is to protect the weak, not intimidate them. And real men know that sex is not love. Sex is given, received and experienced in a lifetime bond of commitment and sacrifice to one woman; and to make kids that grow up secure, protected, and wise to love God & others.

PRAYER:

Dad,
I would never have figured out how to be a man if you had not found me and rescued me from a cycle of chaos. You pulled me out of generations of some good-hearted but weak, simple men trying to be fathers in my life. Of course, Ben, dad #3, wasn’t kind at all he was a Nabal kind of fool – wicked and conniving to his core. Thank you for wisdom. Thank you for discipline of character. Thank you for being a great Dad!