Category: Saturday Study

Proverbs 5     4.19.25

I can’t begin to tell you how helpful this fifth proverb has been in my 25 years of pastoral ministry as I have counselled many. One of the very real temptations of our flesh is lust for the things God created instead of having honor for these things. Our selfish flesh wants to consume and have what it selfishly wants, many times with no regard for what or who it hurts or betrays. We are flooded with imagery and constant temptation to adulterate our eyes or body. God’s word tells us to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18), for its consequences are greater than any other to the body God has given us. 

Whether you are a man or a woman, everyone is susceptible to the lust of the eyes and/or sexual immorality with our bodies. We must arm ourselves with right thinking and daily, godly practices that keep us from these temptations. This week’s proverb goes straight to the heart of this fight. I pray you are not just hearers but doers after reading today’s study. Do whatever is needed to make war with any sin you are caught up in or susceptible to. The name of Jesus, the purity of our minds and souls, and the protection of our marriages and families is all on the line. 

The Warning

Proverbs 5:1-2 My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 

Here, Solomon is driving home the need to be attentive to the counsel he is about to give. Lean in, son! Don’t miss this. You will surely need this. The topic is brought forth in verse 3: “For the lips of a forbidden woman.” What I have come to see in practical life is that the “lips of a forbidden woman” here can be any sexual temptation that is outside of God’s will for your life. It could be any person who is not your spouse (this applies to single people, too). If he/she is not your spouse, then you have no business engaging the temptation before you. It also can be any image or scene in a movie, or picture, or person walking by. It can surely be pornography. I have sat with many men and women over the years in pastoral counsel to look to this proverb as a great help in their need to wage war on addiction to porn. So, as you read the rest of this counsel, consider that “the lips of a forbidden woman” can be any of these sexually immoral things you may struggle with. 

Solomon goes on to clarify how seductive sexually immoral things are. They “drip honey” and “her speech is smoother than oil.” 

In that culture, honey was the sweetest thing you could enjoy, so it was very desirable. One who is smooth in speech is also very seductive and enticing. He is saying be alert and aware how entrapping her presentation is. 

The Consequences

In verse 4 and 5, we are given insight into the reality of what she actually brings: “but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to Sheol.” 

This is no casual consequence. The division that a two-edged sword brings is very real. The road she takes you to is death and suffering. This is the con of all cons. You think you are getting pleasure and comfort, but you are really getting bitterness, breakdown in life, and consequences that lead to death and great suffering. 

In verses 7 and 8, he says “listen up” again. 

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house.” LISTEN TO ME! Do not depart from this counsel or it will wreck your life. Stay far away from such temptation. Do not allow it nearby. Do not wander into places where this kind of temptation resides. This gets very practical for us. What conversations are you having or relationships are you flirting with that are set in a foundation of innocent intentions but are really on the doorstep of great blunder? He says, “Stay away.” To practice this in life and ministry, I have found that we should not engage the opposite sex in any unaccountable space. I don’t care how long you have known them or how much they love the Lord. One on one time together, phone calls, text or email messages can all have the greatest intentions and might practically be helpful, but they are often the doorway to greater intimacy being formed. It is worth it to take steps to keep these kinds of interactions in accountable space where others can see and keep these relationships above reproach. 

Another application of this is where is sexual immorality accessible? Do you have cable in your home, internet access on your computer or phone where sexual temptation is present and a click away? In order to stay far away, as the counsel is given, it can be wise to remove such access. Block certain channels on your cable (let someone else set the code) and have accountability software on your computer or phone whereby a trusted person can see what you are seeing. “XXX Church” and “Covenant Eyes” are both great resources for such software. I have many brothers who don’t have a personal computer or smart phone simply for the fact that they don’t want the temptress on their doorstep at all times. Now, you might be telling yourself, “That would greatly affect my life to not have such access.” I get it. But I would also ask, how much of your life would be impacted if you don’t take the steps to prevent sexual immorality from manifesting itself in your life and marriage? That is the point of Solomon’s next words. 

In verses 9-11, he says, “lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed.” Here, Solomon is saying that the consequence of the fallout that comes with this kind of sinful engagement will steal your life away. To give your honor and respect to others opens the door for them to:

-“Take your strength”–This is what addiction does to your life. You lose your ability to say no. You become weak and at the mercy of the master you have succumb to. 

-“Your labors go to the house of a foreigner”–This is the sad reality of marriages that fall apart and families that are destroyed as a result of addiction or adultery. All you have worked for in life is stripped away. 

Regret

In verses 12 and 13, the reality of the fallout is finally understood. The problem is that it is too late. The destruction has happened, and the consequences have taken their toll. The listener is remorseful as he says, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors.”

This is the gift of good counsel ahead of time. Hopefully, you don’t have to be the one who laments, “Why didn’t I listen? Why did I make excuses and do what I wanted?” This is the gift of this proverb. Hopefully, you take it seriously! Even if you are already engaging in forbidden things, STOP! REPENT NOW—before you delve in deeper. Humble yourself to ask for accountability from a brother who is close to you and can walk with you. Don’t wait until it’s too late and be the one saying, “Why didn’t I listen to godly counsel when I could?”

In verses 18-20, Solomon turns to bring encouragement to enjoy the provisions God has given in marriage. Marriage is worth investing in. Even if you have come to a dry place in your marriage, it is worth whatever it takes to reboot your intimacy and enjoy what God has given as good and right. 

The Holy Lord of Glory is Our Audience in All Things!

Finally, in verse 21, Solomon reminds us to never forget that God is always with us and everything we do is before His eyes.

“For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths.” Let us look to honor Him above all else in these things when alone or just in our own thoughts. God is with us, and we are to honor Him in even the most private moments of this life. He is worthy of our praise and fight for righteous living. 

I am praying for you as you fight this fight. It must be fought. Sin must be overcome. Bring what is in the dark into the light. Get the accountability that is needed to overcome these things. God is able to restore and heal and sanctify. Trust in Him. Listen to His word, and let us glorify Him with the days He entrusts to us under the sun. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 4     4.11.25

In Proverbs 4, we are given more insight into the counsel of a father for his son. We are given more encouragement to take hold of good, godly counsel and to let its many blessings lead you in life. 

Solomon mentions many of the blessings that holding fast to good, godly counsel will give us in this life. 

For example:

Proverbs 4:6 says that this kind of wisdom “… will keep you …” and “… she will guard you.”

Proverbs 4:8-9 says that this kind of wisdom “… will exalt you …” and “… honor you if you embrace her.” And “… she will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”

Proverbs 4:10 says that this kind of wisdom will make “… the years of your life … many.”

Proverbs 4:12 says that this kind of wisdom will cause your step to “… not be hampered …” and “… you will not stumble.”

So, there are practical benefits to hearing, keeping, and walking in good, godly counsel. We will be guarded, rewarded, it will prolong our days, and it will cause us to walk without stumbling. 

This is so practical and true, but somehow, we are guilty of missing its application in our lives. Many of us are quick to say, “Amen!” and “Yes, I find that to be true,” but then we are guilty of not applying it to our daily lives. Instead, we set the godly truths we have learned aside, and we end up in jeopardy. Or, instead of being rewarded, we are penalized. Instead of our days being plentiful, they are cut short, and we end up stumbling because we look to sinful desires within ourselves, or we heed the counsel of the wicked, or we step into the temptations of the worldly. 

The good news is that Proverbs is going to keep driving this point home again and again. Are you seeking and valuing wisdom? Are you heeding it and applying it? You will falter and sin and stumble if you do not. 

James said this so well in his letter, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

Sunday church is not enough. You are not done with your eating of the truths of God when church is over. No, your diet of God’s truths should just be beginning. Your pastor’s teaching of the word should be a catalyst for your walking in, meditating on, and living out the word of God all week long. But all too often what we end up doing is hearing it on Sunday and then never doing it throughout the week. 

It is the same thing with our daily Bible reading. Is it just a moment in your day? Do you read it and then are you done and move on to other things? Or does it wreck you, propel you, slow you down, cause you to truly be changed and motivated to live out the truths you have learned and the wisdom God has given you?

In the second part of Proverbs 4, we are admonished to avoid the path of the wicked. Warnings to avoid what is sinful and evil in the sight of the Lord are a great gift from God. 

Do you regularly invite mature, godly brothers and sisters to speak into your life—to love you enough to bring warning and to walk with you in life so they can have eyes on you to help you see what you are not seeing? 

I have found this to be a great gift in our lives in the body of Christ. We are all susceptible to sin and, therefore, blessed to be warned to avoid sin and evil that we just don’t see ourselves. 

Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on.

The writer goes on to highlight the way of the wicked and how he practices lawlessness and stumbles in the darkness. But the way of the Lord is life in the light, which is a blessing and a great provision of good. 

Finally, in verse 24, he brings his counsel to a close in this chapter by specifically calling for his listeners to put away the specific practice of crooked speech and devious talk—to keep your eyes looking ahead at the prize and not at the wicked things of this world and to be mindful of the steps of your feet so that you do not swerve and turn into evil.

Brothers and sisters, this is important counsel that we need to be reminded of often, as we read through Proverbs this year. Sin is tempting. Acting like the world is always before us to gain laughter or acceptance by those with whom we do life. 

We must heed this counsel to avoid acting like, or walking with, the world. We must not set down our testimony of Christ and become loose with our daily and moment-by-moment practices. 

So, take inventory this morning so you are not just a hearer but a doer. 

Are you constantly valuing the counsel of the word of God and of mature believers in your life—inviting them in and feasting on God’s word daily? 

What are you looking at lately—other people or media on the computer or phone? 

What are you saying with your mouth—coarse jokes, teasing others, cutting remarks, and/or language that doesn’t exalt God?

What are your habits, practices, or the things you do daily—the places you go and the things you do? Are they of the world, or do they make much of the name of Jesus? 

As you contemplate these questions this morning, don’t consider making changes alone. Go to God in prayer and share with a trusted brother or sister so they can walk with you and hold you accountable. May the Lord be glorified, and may our lives be better for the practical application of these things. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

The Spiritual Discipline of Financial Stewardship 4.5.25

The spiritual discipline of stewardship is our privileged opportunity to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory! God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

This week we focused on Scripture that deals with the commands of God on us to be good financial stewards. One key Scripture we have about our stewardship of the “stuff” and money God has entrusted to us is in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

As you read this you may be thinking, “I am far from rich.” But I want to ask, “Compared to whom?” Compared to the rest of mankind, many of us are truly rich. One of our favorite American sayings is, “God bless America.” Every time I see this on a bumper sticker or hear someone say it, I think, “God has. God has blessed America.” Do you realize how blessed by God we are? Do you know that America is approximately 6% of the world’s population, but we consume 40% of the world’s resources? Even though we have so much, we cling to it as our hope—our refuge. Most of us have a car. Some of us own more than one. Do you realize that only 8% of the people in the world own a car? That means 92% of the people in the world look at us and see wealth. 

I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2013 on a mission trip. There are 6.5 million people who live there (the same number of people in one city as in the entire state of Arizona), but only a tiny group of people own cars. The Vietnamese travel their families of four, and sometimes more, mainly by moped, because there is no way they can afford, in a lifetime, to buy a car. 

Seven hundred eighty million people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. That is 3.5 times the population of the United States. This is the reason why 3.4 million people die every year from water-related diseases. You and I are so wealthy that we can literally go to any hose bib in our city, open it up, and safely drink from it. But most of us won’t even do that because it tastes bad; it’s not because it’s contaminated, but because chlorine tastes gross. Do you realize millions of people in this highly advanced world don’t even know what it’s like to turn on a water source—any water source—and have something come out for them to drink? They don’t know what this is like. 

We Are So Rich! 

So, when we say, “God bless America!” or when we cringe at the thought of our comfort and abundance being messed with, we need to heed the words of Paul here when he says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17NIV).

What we need to be saying is, “God, may America bless You by falling on our faces in gratitude for entrusting us with so much, and then instead of asking for more, may we learn to manage it in such a way that we bless others.”

Why? Because as redeemed children of God, our joy and our hope are not in our stuff but in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

Look further at this Scripture with me for a moment:

1. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds …”

The word “good” here is the Greek word “kalos.” It means “beautiful.” The question is, when people see your deeds, do they see the beauty of Christ? Do they say, “Amazing!”? We are saved, by the grace of God, through faith in Christ, in order to do “kalos” deeds—good deeds, beautiful deeds. 

2. “… and to be generous and willing to share …”

Are you generous in your lifestyle? How do you know you are living generously or sacrificially? You know because it costs you something. It changes your lifestyle. You feel it!

3. “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Jesus taught us that the way to true life is narrow. He said it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. Why? Why is it hard? Why is the way to life narrow? It’s narrow because we don’t need a wide road so we can carry all of our trophies, money, possessions, pictures, and diplomas to eternal life; we just need Jesus. Why is the road to eternal destruction wide? It’s wide because all that stuff has to fit as we pack it, worship it, and cling to it straight to hell! Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God? It’s hard because he wants to have his own kingdom now, and if entering God’s Kingdom means being generous and living for God’s glory and fame and not his own, then he will pass. 

Here is the true test. Many of us wealthy, gifted, healthy people have said yes to Jesus’ invitation to the feast, but we have our arms so full of this world that we have no time to help anybody else get there with us. 

Praise God, Jesus Christ is the door, and it is not by my good deeds that I am saved! 

But hear me today, brothers! When the gospel takes a hold of you, you will set down the treasures of this world and be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory, and in doing so, you will take hold of the life that is truly life. 

In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” 

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 

If we hoard what we are given, we can only handle so much, but if we continue to give, we are able to be entrusted by God with more; not so we can be rich, but so we can keep giving it away for His glory and others’ salvation and growth. 

In 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul tells the New Testament Church about how we are to be faithful in our giving that with which God has entrusted us. It is a very specific counsel on how you and I are to be great stewards of the money and stuff we have! 

1. Give Joyfully

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

To reluctantly give means, “I really do not want to, but oh, I better.” The world “cheerful” in the Greek is “hilarion.” It’s where we get our word hilarious—God loves a hilarious giver. 

Now, we need to understand what God is trying to teach us about the amazing flow of kingdom living it is when we live an open-handed life. It should bring us an immense amount of joy, and it should bring God an immense amount of glory. 

2. Give Regularly 

Your faithfulness is more important to me than the amount you are able to give.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 

The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering from poverty and famine, so Paul was collecting money for them. He suggested that believers set aside a certain amount each week and give it to the church until he arrived to take it on to Jerusalem. 

Are you to only give to the church to which you belong? No. But the Bible says here and in other places to bring your regular commitment to God to support the ministry and ministers that you are partnering with in life and ministry. So, we are to give the first fruits of our income to our home church, and then extra giving to other causes or people.

3. Give Generously 

2 Corinthians 8:2-3 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord

What is generous living? Let’s look at Jesus; He gave sacrificially. How do I know I am giving sacrificially? Generous giving changes your lifestyle: You feel it! If you are trying to figure out a minimum number required to give, your giving is already from a heart that is more about how much you can keep for yourself and less about how much you can give others in the name of the One to whom it belongs—Jesus! I love the statement that God will do way more with what you have left than you can ever do with the full amount.

4. Give Proportionally

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 

There is not a required percentage as to how much one should give after the cross. The requirement is a Christ-like life, one that is consumed by Him and overflowing with His character. This can only equal a sacrificial stewardship. 

The key to our being good stewards of the money and “stuff” that God has entrusted to us is to first know that it is all His. It is our utter privilege to be entrusted with this life and the gifts and abilities that He has given us. 

Our kingdom mindset is to be open-handed with His stuff and His money, to be faithful to bless others, and to continue the kingdom work that is happening in our local church and ministries of which we are a part. 

Finally, we must be committed to the practice of budgeting if we are to actually manage our money and not just make it and spend it.  A budget allows you to set a God honoring disciplined plan for how you will steward what God has entrusted to you. There are lots of good resources out there for budgeting and I have a good demo budget I am happy to share with you if you email me and request it.  This discipline often requires a weekly touch to be sure you are staying on budget and aiming to finish each month in the black.  You will be blessed to take on this practice and as a result will be able to show the Lord a more consistent good stewardship of the finances he has entrusted to you. 

I pray that if you have been negligent in faithfully managing what He has entrusted to you that you repent and begin to give joyfully, regularly, generously, and proportionally. I pray also that you let your good deeds shine bright and let God work through you, as you steward well all He has entrusted to you. For His glory we live! 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

The Spiritual Discipline of Stewardship   -3.29.25

The holy Bible is clear: There is only one God. You and I are not Him. It tells us that God created everything that exists; therefore, everything that exists belongs to Him. The Bible is also clear to tell us that the ultimate reason why everything exists is for His eternal glory!

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! 

So, we exist for God’s glory! The problem is like the first created man and woman, we have chosen to love ourselves more than God, and we want our lives to go the way we want and not the way God wants. So, in sin, we make our lives about our glory! Because of our sin, our aim is to want to have things our way. What we fail to realize is doing it “our way” is our sin! We fail to accept that what we deserve for our sin—our betrayal, our idolatry—is death. 

Even though we deserve death, even though our actions clearly make us enemies of God, in His infinite mercy, God promised that He would come to us to redeem His people. The great hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has fulfilled His promise to redeem His people. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (NLT).

Praise God forever and ever, because He commissioned His blameless Son to the cross that we deserved so that we could be given the eternal satisfying life with God that only Jesus deserves. Because of what Jesus has done, we have new life in Christ! Not only are our sins paid for by Jesus’ death, but our lives’ motivations are restored to live for God above all else!

The gospel is not God blessing us so we can glorify ourselves. The gospel is God blessing us so HE can be glorified by our new lives in Christ! Without this understanding, any talk we have today about stewardship will be a weight on your shoulders—a duty to perform, a rule to follow, a religious practice to keep up with. Without Christ, we will not manage our lives for God’s glory, but for our own. Stewardship is all about your response to the gospel in your life. That is why I have to start with the gospel today, or else stewardship is impossible.

Definition:

The spiritual discipline of stewardship is our privileged opportunity to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory!

God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

What we have is all from Him and not ourselves.

1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV) “… Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

God has called us to steward His stuff in this time on earth for His purposes. What is His stuff? My life is His! My family is His. My money is His. My time is His. My skills are His.

Romans 1:6 says basically that the heart of Christianity is to belong to Jesus! We belong to Him for His glory! 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 … You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

What are we called to do with all this?

Hebrews 13:12-16 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

So, let me ask you today, how are you doing? Is your life your privileged reality of being a faithful manager of God’s provisions for God’s glory? One of the best ways to check yourself in this is to start at the beginning:  Is it your privilege to joyfully, regularly, and generously manage your schedule, your skills, and your stuff for God’s glory?

1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

As redeemed children of God, our joy and our hope is not in our stuff, but in God! “… but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” If our hope is in God and our joy is in Christ and our clear understanding is that everything we have is His and is to be used for His glory and His purposes, then we will be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us in this short time for His eternal purposes. 

Stewardship is about management. We are not just talking about people who try to give what they can when they can. We are talking about people who purposefully, intentionally, faithfully, generously manage the provisions God gives them. God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

So, I need to ask you today:

1. Are you even in a position to manage God’s resources for His glory?
   You will not and you cannot do this without Christ as your Savior! Without Christ, stewardship for God’s glory is impossible. You will inevitably make it about you and not Him. It must start by Jesus’ power transforming your heart and motives.

2. If you are saved, how are you doing? 

Is your life your privileged reality of being a faithful manager of God’s provisions for God’s glory?

Let’s break this down. First, it is:

1. Our privilege!

The heart of God’s steward starts with a heart of gratitude or unworthiness! For those who say, “But I have worked hard to earn what I own and to master the skills I have,” I commend you to the Scriptures: 

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth …

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Realize, God has not just entrusted you with everything you own, but everything you are—your skills, and the number of days you will live. They are a gift from God. We are privileged to be entrusted with His provisions!

What I have found is many Christians don’t see it as their privilege to be good stewards because they don’t see their schedules, their skills, and their stuff as God’s, but instead believe it is theirs!

His stuff:

1 Chronicles 29:13-17 (NLT) “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a shadow, gone so soon without a trace. “O Lord our God, even these materials that we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name come from you! It all belongs to you! I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.” 

My heart for us is to be like the people David is speaking of in this passage. They understood everything they had was from God. 

They understood it was not theirs; it was God’s. Because they understood these things, they stewarded these resources for His glory and not their own.

Let me illustrate with this:

If I were to entrust to you my checkbook to manage for me—to spend my money, pay my bills, manage it for my good, then over time, you might begin to get used to spending my money and eventually begin to think it is yours! If my 5-year-old daughter, Piper, decides to make me a card or buy me a gift, whose money does she spend? Whose stationary and pen did she use? Whose paycheck was cashed to buy that thing? Mine! Her dad’s.

Do you see that all that you are and all that you have is God’s? And when we really begin to get this, we begin to understand the amazing undeniable privilege it is to be His, and it changes how we manage our time, our talent, and our treasures. It helps me begin to realize I am not building my kingdom; I am building His kingdom for His glory!

His glory:

We were created for His glory. We were bought with a high price for His glory. We have been entrusted with what we have for His glory! We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ; therefore, we can joyously, regularly, and generously live an open-handed life. When we understand that we are transient, that this world is not our home or our goal or our prize, and we don’t clutch the things of this world like this is all there is going to be, then we live at a level of fullness that the world will not understand. But in doing so, we get to escape the traps of the temporary. 

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God has created us and gifted us for a work He has set before us. So, are we using this life He has entrusted to us and the gifts He has entrusted to us to be stewarded for His glory and others’ good?

Think about the different areas of your life:

• your relationships
• your chores around the house
• your hobbies
• your job
• your marriage and kids
• your volunteering at church or serving in the community

So, how are you doing?

How are you doing at managing the time God entrusts to you?

How are you doing at managing the skills God entrusts to you? 

How are you doing at managing the resources God entrusts to you? 

While this study is super simple, it is so critical that we do business with it. We should not waste one moment of this privileged life God has entrusted to us to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory!

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 3   -3.22.25

The book of Proverbs pulls together 513 of the over 3,000 proverbs pondered by Solomon (1 Kings 4:32; Ecclesiastes 12:9). The word “proverb” means “to be like”; therefore, Proverbs is a book of comparisons between common, concrete images and life’s most profound truths. Proverbs are simple, moral statements (or illustrations) that highlight and teach fundamental realities about life. 

Solomon was seriously committed to God’s wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:8–12) and he offered pithy sayings designed to make men contemplate important aspects of life. As we continue to study the Proverbs this year, may we not just hear them but put them into action.

Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my teaching,

  but let your heart keep my commandments,

for length of days and years of life

  and peace they will add to you.

The old covenant promises of God meant that if His people walked uprightly and honored Him, then He would bless them and add to their days. This was a temporary provision that ultimately pointed to the greatest blessing we could ever receive—salvation in Jesus Christ who is peace and life. Praise God for His provision of grace! Here, Solomon reminds the learner to not forget His teaching, but to keep His commandments. 

How do you do at this? Do you hear a Sunday sermon and forget it by Monday? Or do you meditate on it? Do you dig back into that passage and really chew on the bread your pastor gave you of God’s word? Are we keeping the commands of God or are we just hearers and not doers? We will not honor God nor live the life He has saved us for if we forsake these things and just go about life.

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

  bind them around your neck;

  write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

  in the sight of God and man.

Steadfast love and faithfulness are next in things we should not forsake—enduring love and faithfulness. Is the practice of your days and the power of the Lord within you causing enduring love—you endure, you continue, you fight, and you don’t give up? No matter how hard it gets, you continue. No matter what the other person is doing or not doing, you endure in love. The love of God that is not selfish but selfless. Do you remain faithful to your commitments and thereby prove to be a man of God? 

Brothers, we are to bind these practices around our neck—we wake up and go to work in them. Again, Solomon reminds the Old Testament people of God’s promises. Again, they are abundantly greater for us who are in Christ. Praise God. 

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

  and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

  and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

  fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh

  and refreshment to your bones.

Here in chapter 3, we arrive at probably the most popular proverbs of all time—verses 5-6. I must say, they are amazing guides of wisdom that we need almost daily. Why do we need to be reminded to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding?

It’s because of sin; because our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), corrupt, and selfish; because we are at war with the work of our flesh (Galatians 5:19). This reminder to trust God with all our hearts is vital! We are lost in the ocean without true trust of God. Do you truly trust Him? I would argue that salvation, at its core, is trusting God with your entire life. A Christian is one who trusts God. To not trust Him is to make war with the very identity you have in Christ. 

There is great wisdom in the words “do not lean on your own understanding” and “Be not wise in your own eyes,” because we are idiots compared to the wisdom of God. Why would I want the counsel of an idiot next to the infinite wisdom of God? And yet this is our struggle, is it not? Oh, how we need this counsel every day! There is so much more I could say here, but I must move into the rest of this passage. 

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth

  and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

  and your vats will be bursting with wine.

We are truly wealthy! If you are reading this on your smart phone or computer, you have means that much of the world has never even seen or known. We have such a slanted view of wealth when we consider our western worldview. So, to all of us who are wealthy, “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” I mentioned just a few weeks ago about worshipping God with our firstfruits of the income He has entrusted us with to be stewarded for His glory and purposes. Here it is again. 

Are you joyfully committing a regular, generous amount of the firstfruits of your monthly income to your local church and then to other ministries? We should decide this and then the lifestyle we will have with what is left over and not the other way around. If you are not, then repent and honor the Lord in this way. The people of God do not take God’s provisions and do with them what they please. They want to serve Him and honor Him with them. May it be so. 

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

  or be weary of his reproof,

for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

  as a father the son in whom he delights.

We will close this study with this!

How do we know that we truly belong to the Lord? Scripture gives us many signs to look for in our lives that indicate that our faith is real and that we are children of God. One of these evidences is that we confess faith in Christ alone for salvation (Romans 10:9). But as many profess faith falsely, there are other things to look for. Today’s passage gives us one of the markers to look for as evidence that we are true children of God—the discipline of the Lord. 

Solomon says that we should expect to be reproved by our Father God and that the rod of His discipline is a good thing. It is out of love that God disciplines us. As a parent, I do not love my children while letting them do whatever they want. No, it is loving to help shape them and protect them from things that will hurt them. This means I must discipline them. This is the loving act of a parent. It is the same for God! No matter the discipline imposed, the Lord also has our maturity as His goal. He is working through every possible means to present us mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28). God’s fatherly discipline is for all His saints. In this, we should be thankful and receive it with glad hearts knowing He loves us and is helping to shape us for all He has for us. 

Wow! God’s word is good. I pray that you are encouraged and continue to hunger for all God has before us. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com