For the Lord detests the perverse
but takes the upright into his confidence.
Summary: When we are born again and given new life in the Spirit (John 3:3), the words of God take on a whole new meaning.
How would you like to be a confidant of the Lord? You know, hang out with the King of the Universe. You and Jesus having coffee at the local Koffee Korner, while people who walk by try not to stare. It is sort of like having tea and crumpets with your favorite movie star, only better.
Jesus actually wants to hang out with you. Yes, you! He wants to take you into his confidence and explain all the things that are going on in the world.
Sadly, a lot of times Jesus gets invited out but then gets stood up. People say that they want to hang out with him but they forget or something. Maybe it is just life. Jesus understands. I am sure he does. After all, there are things I have to do and he is sort of retired now that he has been resurrected and all.
What? Do you mean he is not retired?
No, Jesus is not retired. In fact, he has a great deal on his plate. Yet he is never too busy to spend time with you or me. (Isn’t that amazing?)
When the Lord looks around at his creation, he sees us differently than we see each other. Jesus sees what is in our hearts (Matthew 9:4). Imagine if you could look into a crowd of people and know for certain what each was in their heart. Instead of seeing “people” who all look much the same, you would see some as perverse and some as upright. Like night and day, it would appear that the upright walk in the light and the perverse walk in darkness.
Even though he sees us for what we are, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). But, in the same way, God drew a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites (Exodus 8:23), so he draws a distinction between the perverse and the upright.
To be taken into the Lord’s confidence is to be included in God’s inner circle. But how does he do this? The answer is as simple as it is ironic.
God has given us the secrets of his kingdom in his Word, the Bible. More than just reading it, the upright believe what they read. The perverse make excuses, ignore or twist God’s Word. Our nature defines us.
Application: When you read God’s Word, read it with an open heart and an open mind.
Food for Thought: How do the upright and the perverse react to the Bible?
The upright find exceeding great and precious promises while the perverse find it as something that they can shred and toss in the fireplace. C U at coffee 😊
Thanks JEC!
Thanks Jeff, I am very enjoying your daily three minute devotions! Thank God – He is not retired!! We need Him now more than ever in this country! Is there a way I can send you personal email. Brother in Christ, Jim Mozena
Jim,
I am so glad you are enjoying the blog! And yes, thank God for God!! We do need him more than ever.
I can be reached at this email:
jeff@threeminutebible.com
How do the upright and the perverse react to the Bible?
The people that I know who walk with the Lord usually see how God’s Word applies to their life: past, present, and future. Their reaction sometimes is a struggle or wills at first, but as far as I have witnessed, the Holy Spirit lays something on their heart and it grows.
John 4:23-24 “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
People that I know/have witnessed who do not walk with the Lord usually react with either fear of what will be taken from them (will I have to change my life?) or what they can gain from the Scriptures.
1 Timothy 6:5 “and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”
Chris,
Thank you! The passage from 1 Tim is interesting. It refers to the infamous “false teachers” that we are to be on guard against.
We have already studied Jude, James, Titus, and 1 & 2 Peter here on TMB and the message regarding false teachers is consistent. They are not to be ignored.
I’m thinking Psalm 119……. The upright will sound more like that. Just glad for God, for His standard, for His ways, for Him bringing us to Himself, seeking forgiveness and receiving it, seeking good and truth and finding it.
The perverse will think that long Psalm 119 is crazy.
Well, some of the upright might not understand liking that Psalm, but they’ll live it more and more. They’ll come back to it later and appreciate it.
But the wicked…. They won’t like it, they won’t live it, they’ll stay as far away from it as they can. If they can’t keep away then they’ll be scoffers.
A –
So you are saying the the upright go through life with a Psalm in their heart …
Haha! I wasn’t thinking of it that way, I guess that’d be right. 🙂
Bless you Jeff
One way they react to God’s word is with violence and rebellion. Psalm 2. They plot against the Lord and His decrees in vain. I think we see this all over the place today. If God says unify, they say divide. If God says to keep separate, they join together. The world appears to be diametrically opposed to God’s words and will.
Obviously the above response is focusing on the perverse. The upright seek to know God and obey.
Got it. 🙂
Rich,
Great observation. Not “great” in the sense of “Oh goody, look what is happening” but “great” in the sense of “very accurate observation.”
Our world is upside down. Our cultural divorce from the Bible as our moral authority has resulted in moral chaos.
02-18-2022, Proverbs 3:32, How do the upright and the perverse react to the Bible?
In Proverbs we see how our choices lead to our taking the path of sinners or the path of wisdom.
Proverbs 1:9-19, Proverbs 1:20-33
In Matthew Jesus teaches us of the two paths and two destinations, He later teaches how our choices of the foundation for our lives decisions, are either wise of foolish.
Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:24-27
The bottom line is, there are only two choices and we all choose which we take. The majority choose pleasures according to the wisdom of this world which leads to everlasting punishment. The minority will choose life according to the teachings in the Bible which leads to eternal life in the presence of God.
Interestingly, Jesus describes 7 churches in the book of Revelation. One faces severe persecution while another has remained patient and preserved.
Smyrna: The church that would “face severe persecution”
(Revelation 2:10).
Philadelphia: The church that had “patiently persevered”
(Revelation 3:10).
The remaining 5 churches have chosen to abandon their original
love for Him and will be judged accordingly. It is a warning to all
churches to remain faithful, as one body, to their original calling which is to teach and minister to others according to God’s Word. As members of a local church as well as The Church, it is our obligation to keep ourselves pure and be seen by God as Christlike.
Ephesus: The church that had “abandoned its first love for Christ”
(Revelation 2:4).
Pergamum: The church that “needed to repent of sin”
(Revelation 2:16).
Thyatira: The church whose “false prophetess was leading people
astray”
(Revelation 2:20).
Sardis: The sleeping church that “needed to wake up”
(Revelation 3:2).
Laodicea: The church with “lukewarm faith”
(Revelation 3:16).
Ron,
You have given us some very interesting things to think about today. Thank you!
I agree with your assessment that there are “two choices” before us. We are either with God or against God. Then you offer us an insight into the Five Churches.
We must stay vigilant. We must remain alert. As churches we need to keep our eyes on Jesus.
Yep,
From what I read here, you have been blessed with a good one! Keep God’s Love flowing to one another.
Blessings!
Ron