Sunday, November 10, 2013

Goodbye Christian Missus

Dear Readers,

For reasons I will leave unspecified, I have deactivated my Twitter account, and will no longer be posting updates to this blog.

However, I am leaving this blog open for the time being, as Christian Missus has regular visitors, as well as many new visitors.

On the off chance that this blog and it's posts can reach the lost or encourage/uplift other brothers and sisters in Christ, it is enough of a reason not to delete it. May the Lord's work be done through here, if He Wills.

Stay strong and unwavering in the faith, brothers and sisters. "...For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:6 (partial)

May the Lord bless and keep all His children.

With love in Christ,

Rennie

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary - Proverbs 14:1-17

Good [Lord's] day, everyone! I was on the lookout for a few quotes to tweet on Twitter today, notably quotes that pertain to wives and marriage. During my search, I came across Proverbs 14, and Matthew Henry's commentary on Proverbs 14 (verses 1-17). 

Now, I do want to make clear that I am very careful when reading commentaries, opinions, teachings, sermons and the like outside of the Bible. The modern church is just saturated with false teachings (and teachers, for that matter), so to find things "right on the money" is quite challenging. In light of this, I find that reviewing preachers' commentaries and teachings from the 1800's and earlier are usually not sugar-coated, scathingly true, and as close to the Truth as you can get. Of course, my husband vets these preachers as I find them! Of course, I'm not saying that I've read every single piece of Matthew Henry's works, but from what we've seen so far, what he writes can be of great value to every, and any, Christian.

In Scripture, we read:

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
But the lips of the wise will preserve them.
Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.
A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is favor.
10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.
11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.
13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And the end of mirth may be grief.
14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied from above.[a]
15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.

Please, take a moment to read what Matthew Henry has said along with this:

14:1 A woman who has no fear of God, who is wilful and wasteful, and indulges her ease, will as certainly ruin her family, as if she plucked her house down. 2. Here are grace and sin in their true colours. Those that despise God's precepts and promises, despise God and all his power and mercy. 3. Pride grows from that root of bitterness which is in the heart. The root must be plucked up, or we cannot conquer this branch. The prudent words of wise men get them out of difficulties. 4. There can be no advantage without something which, though of little moment, will affright the indolent. 5. A conscientious witness will not dare to represent anything otherwise than according to his knowledge. 6. A scorner treats Divine things with contempt. He that feels his ignorance and unworthiness will search the Scriptures in a humble spirit. 7. We discover a wicked man if there is no savour of piety in his discourse. 8. We are travellers, whose concern is, not to spy out wonders, but to get to their journey's end; to understand the rules we are to walk by, also the ends we are to walk toward. The bad man cheats himself, and goes on in his mistake. 9. Foolish and profane men consider sin a mere trifle, to be made light of rather than mourned over. Fools mock at the sin-offering; but those that make light of sin, make light of Christ. 10. We do not know what stings of conscience, or consuming passions, torment the prosperous sinner. Nor does the world know the peace of mind a serious Christian enjoys, even in poverty and sickness. 11. Sin ruins many great families; whilst righteousness often raises and strengthens even mean families. 12. The ways of carelessness, of worldliness, and of sensuality, seem right to those that walk in them; but self-deceivers prove self-destroyers. See the vanity of carnal mirth. 14. Of all sinners backsliders will have the most terror when they reflect on their own ways. 15. Eager readiness to believe what others say, has ever proved mischievous. The whole world was thus ruined at first. The man who is spiritually wise, depends on the Saviour alone for acceptance. He is watchful against the enemies of his salvation, by taking heed to God's word. 16. Holy fear guards against every thing unholy. 17. An angry man is to be pitied as well as blamed; but the revengeful is more hateful.    

This piece of Scripture is powerful, and should strike a chord of truth in even the most unbelieving of people. I wanted to share what Matthew Henry said here in particular, not only because what he said in response is so searing and true, but also because there are many people who walk the earth today (and all the times before today) that just fit that description. Even people who are close to me, I am sad to say.

All the information I copied and pasted here can be found at Bible Hub and Bible Gateway.