Posted on 01/04/2020 7:14:49 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee” (Proverbs 4:8-9 KJV).
“Exalt her, and she shall promote thee,” “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south” (Psalms 75:6 KJV). God is the promoter—it comes out of the north. Exalt her, wisdom, and she shall promote thee. It is not money that promotes us, it is not fame that promotes us, it is wisdom.
“. . . she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her,” take hold on her, take hold on our salvation, take hold on the Bible.
“She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee,” here is an instance where the Bible defines its own words so that we don’t have to rush off to the Hebrew or the Greek to discover it. And “ornament of grace” is a “crown of glory.” That “crown of glory” is mentioned in Peter: “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (I Peter 5:4 KJV).
The “crown of glory” is one of the five crowns listed in Scripture. If a Christian is wise, he can earn himself some crowns. There is no crown ever made on this earth that compares to the one that we are thinking about now. The Bible crowns are eternal. They are incorruptible. That means that they will be there for all eternity. Men are placed in some kind of Hall of Fame down here, but one of these days that Hall of Fame is going to burn up.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him” (James 1:12 KJV).
So, enduring temptation—and you probably won’t unless you really love the Lord—but enduring temptation is to earn a crown. That’s wisdom.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8 KJV). Are we looking forward to the Lord’s return?
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy” (I Thessalonians 2:19-20 KJV). There’s a crown for soul winning. That is wisdom, to try to win others to Christ. We are born to reproduce; we are born-again to win others. Don’t go to heaven empty-handed! It is considered a shame to go through life barren, it is an even greater shame for a Christian to go through this life barren of souls. Be wise! Don’t let the world, the flesh, or the Devil talk you out of it.
It’s wisdom, it’s wise, it’s understanding, it’s knowledge, it’s knowing what’s important and applying that knowledge to the purpose of God.
“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible” (I Corinthians 9:24-25 KJV). We get this one for keep our wicked, evil flesh under subjection.
“She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee,” she will deliver it to you with joy.
Let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread!
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Wisdom. It doesn’t wear a sign. It can take a lifetime of tests to determine what’s wisdom. And even then you need sanity!
Yes, sanity helps.
So, enduring temptation—and you probably won’t unless you really love the Lord—but enduring temptation is to earn a crown. That’s wisdom.
“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (II Timothy 4:8 KJV). Are we looking forward to the Lord’s return?
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy” (I Thessalonians 2:19-20 KJV). There’s a crown for soul winning. That is wisdom, to try to win others to Christ. We are born to reproduce; we are born-again to win others. Don’t go to heaven empty-handed! It is considered a shame to go through life barren, it is an even greater shame for a Christian to go through this life barren of souls. Be wise! Don’t let the world, the flesh, or the Devil talk you out of it.
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Good stuff!
Praise and glory to God .
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