Good morning, Proverbs girls!

Yes!! It is bright and early. (Well, sorry again. You know me. It’s actually “dark and early.”) And I jumped out of bed just to jump into Proverbs Chapter 9 — and it all starts out with deep thoughts of … meat and wine!! LOL!

“HUH?! Are you for real?” you say. Well, yes, I sure am today. And let me tell you it got me thinking about a dinner party I am getting ready for. My “baby” brother is coming through town for supper tomorrow.

And since it is almost his 40th birthday — welcome to the ranks of OLD AGE, John LOL! — I really wanted it to be something special for him. Made up one of his favorite meals (oh la la, can you say chicken and cream cheese??), made up his favourite appys (pepperoni, meat and cheese) 🙂 made up his favorite dessert (can’t go wrong with lemon pie!!), and why-oh-why would I do ALL this? Well, because I love this guy and I am his (favourite?!!) big sis! 🙂 But mostly, I really want to let him know I CARE for him, and so, I have HAPPILY put hours of preparation in.

And isn’t that the truth? That when we have people over, “how and what” we prepare for them often reflects our CARE for them?? Well, that’s what I saw in the two Dinner Party Options I read about today.

Yes, the first was hosted by a woman — let’s call her WISE-Wanda 🙂 — and she was oh-so intentional to get oh-so ready for her oh-so-important guests. Set the table, prepare the meat, brew the wine, build a house (how nice!), and then she sends her servants out to get the dinner guest to come on in (verses 1-4)! 

The second dinner part was later in the chapter (verses 13-18), hosted by another woman — let’s call her FOOLISH-Fran 😉 — and WHOA!! A whole different agenda, motive and goal in her “preparation” is apparent. Like how about NO PREPARATION or care can be seen at all! There are only secret little short-term “promises of pleasure.” Oh, yes, this is highly helpful. This water is so “sweet,” and whatever food is there isn’t the KIND offered, but the method it is given. It will be eaten HIDDEN. And why would that have to be? Or be appealing?? What is FRAN up to??

Hmmm….

Well, these two women really do reflect the two “Worldviews” Proverbs continues to offer us:

1) One based on GODLY Wisdom (Can you guess which one that is?? Hello Wanda!!) 🙂

2) The WORLD’S “Wisdom” 

And we, (yes, WE!!) get to decide each day which door to enter and which table to sit at and which food to eat: a secret-sweet-short-term supper? Or … a far-more-filling-and-SOUL-fulfilling meal of meat??

And again, we see the “A-B-C Equation” offered before each seat:

A: ACTION: Our ACTION is in which CHOICE of table to attend. I know it seems so super simple, and yet, as verse 13 says, the “SIMPLE fool” easily misses out on what GOD has that’s best — and lands at Fran’s. And the direction of our decision is based on either 1) fear/respect of MAN’s (MY??) short-term desires or  2) FEAR and respect of the LORD (verse 10) and the choice to trust HIS words over my wants. (Do you know what I mean??) But once I CHOOSE HIS Worldview, then I’m on to …

B: BUSTING through to NEW BELIEFS: Yes! Did you see in verse 6 that as you CHOOSE HIS Worldview, you will slowly over time begin to “SEE things differently”? Like, how when I was too busy eating at Fran’s, I only saw HIS commands as rules and rigid and, well, “wrong” for me (verse 7). But as I chose HIS worldview more often and regularly, I saw THESE SAME commands so differently. They became “correcting care concepts” that kept me from harm — and mostly from my own self (verse 12)!! And so, I began to grow in seeking HIS “protection correction.” And, boy-oh-boy, did the promises I didn’t FEEL at the front end become so REAL in the long, because … 

C: “The King of CONSISTENCY” will always come through for me! Yup, the less I CHOSE to  eat at FRAN’S, and the more I CHOSE to eat at Wanda’s, the more HIS Wisdom grew in me, guided me and got me going (verse 6). I felt all the “real rewards” of the promise there would be (verses 10-11)! Yes, the reality of verse 12 came true, and I will share my paraphrase with you:

“GOD’S WISDOM GIVES back — but WORLDLY WISDOM only attacks” (mostly me)!

Yes, each day I choose (A) where I will go for my SOUL-FOOD, and when its dinner table is HIS table, there is a shift in how I SEE the WORDS that I read (B). And the more I SEE His correction as “care and protection,” the more I WANT more of that wisdom — because it truly does begin to bring all the “rewards” that have been prepared for me by my KING. 

They sure did for me, and they sure will for you.

Because THAT’s just how GOD works. 

Can’t wait to see YOU at HIS long-term-fully-filling-if-you’re-willing-fat-free-shame-free-sin-free-guilt-free-faith-filled-SOUL-FOOD-FEAST!!!! And P.S. if you beat me to the table, please save me a seat. 🙂

Love ya, ladies!

Carol 😉