What's Your Favorite Proverb?

“The darkest hour is before the doorbell rings.” That’s one of the winning proverbs from Domino’s Pizza Proverbs Contest. Last year, that pizza company opened a contest seeking modern proverbs which would fit their pizza products. Since the contest ended, each delivery and take-out pizza box features one of the eight winning proverbs.


While on last week’s trip to Santa Fe, Roswell, and Artesia NM, I’d pondered the book of Proverbs. I’d taken my oldest Bible with me, re-read my favorite passages, and I looked for a proverbial slant for today’s column. I continued to ask myself how I could tie the book of Proverbs into the Easter story. Because this column has taken us through the books of the Bible in sequence, here we are at Easter and we landed on the book of Proverbs.

When we’re out of town and our only transportation is an eighteen wheeler, we either find motels with restaurants in walking distance or order a meal delivered. We’d ordered pizza, and I still hadn’t resolved my dilemma of a tie in between Easter and Proverbs when I heard a knock on the motel door.

The delivery man handed me our pizzas. Later, I discovered that the box had a pizza proverb on the box: “Pizzas dare to go where hamburgers fear to tread.” I checked out the pizzaproverbs.com site and discovered that over 7,000 people had entered the contest. We prefer Dominos thin crust pizzas to all others, but I still have to say that pizza proverbs -- as cute as they are -- are not near as meaty as the proverbs left to us in the Bible.

The “Online Etymology Dictionary” says the word “proverb” originates from the Latin word “proverbium,” meaning "a common saying," literally "words put forward." Descriptive phrases become common sayings as people watch life and see that certain things usually turn out the same way. If you do things this way, they most always have the same outcome.

Even though proverbs are general statements that come true most of the time, they cannot be held up as absolute rules that always turn out the same results. We all know exceptions to proverbs. An example: if you train up children as to how they should live, those children when they grow to adulthood generally accept those guidelines for their lives (Proverbs 22:6). However, parents and guardians use many different methods to train many different little personalities, who may have developed many different aspirations or phobias. Anytime a human is factored into efforts, results can go in infinite directions.

However, the exception to those above statements is Jesus Christ. Although he inhabited a human body, his soul remained divine – his character, his actions, his heart always represented infinite grace and truth (John 1:14). During his ministry, Judea, Galilee and surrounding areas experienced unparalleled displays of favor in the form of Immanuel, God with us.

Throughout the three years of Jesus’ ministry, he continually portrayed the Heavenly Father with exact measure: “The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being." (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus gave us truth about the Heavenly Father. Jesus was more than a proverb. Jesus embodied truth and absolute results of compassionate living and eternal power.

Jesus freely gave over-the-top care: withered limbs re-muscled; fishermen's nets overflowed; thousands ate from heaven's bread basket; massive waves and atmospheric elements obeyed his voice and ceased their violent nature—because extravagant God trod the earth.

Jesus, king of hearts touched foul flesh, sat in fishing boats, and cradled children on his lap. He washed feet, forgave murderous sins, and healed bad reputations. And then the ultimate show of authority came on the third day after his crucifixion when he arose from the dead.

Every day we hear clichés, old sayings, and modern taglines advertising products and pizzas, but none compare to the Son of God who represented the truth of heaven. Jesus moved us from maybes to miracles. Happy Resurrection Sunday.

Index Card Verse for Week 16: “He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home with the wise” (Proverbs 15:31).

Humility to the Max

The CD player in the car is pumping out favorite music, and careless you forget to watch the speedometer. Flashing lights in the rearview mirror, signal time to pull to the shoulder of the road, submitting to a governing authority.

I’ve experienced several of these submissions. Long ago on the first day I drove with my new driver’s license, the standard Fairlane and I hopped and jerked across a road in front of a Conroe Police officer. The concerned officer wanted to know if anything was wrong. “Nothing’s wrong, officer—just not used to this clutch.”

We are called to submit every day to familiar faces and strangers. I witnessed an altercation in a parking lot the other day when one man on his cell phone walked behind a moving car. The driver gave a friendly honk and the walker exploded into expletives, which brought about words of challenge from the driver. After verbal sparring, the driver simply drove away and parked in a different area and went into the store. I later encountered him whistling. He gave up the fight, submitted, and seemed happier for it.

Submission is the topic this week. Our goals when practicing the spiritual disciplines is not to gain the discipline itself, but rather learn from the practice. If the discipline of silence is practiced just to be silent. It serves no purpose. If the discipline of submission is practiced to be more “religious” than others, then no one benefits.

Submission is simply a readiness to yield to another person, and it is probably one of the most difficult of all disciplines. People want to have the last word. Defend their actions. Make sure their way is promoted and practiced. The prevailing attitude is if you don’t agree with me, then I will not tolerate or consider any ideas from you. Arguments ensue.

Submission is based in self-denial. But self-denial is not rooted in hatred of self, rather it is deeply rooted in humility, giving others the benefit of the doubt, having an unassuming attitude, and dishing out understanding and grace in huge portions. A great lesson on submission was set forth when Jesus gave up his place with God, to become human and take on the task of imaging servant-God on earth. (Philippians 2).

The writer of Hebrews said that Jesus gave us an exact representation of God (1:3). It may seem strange to think of God as submissive servant, but serving is God’s most exact representation. His rain falls on the just and unjust. His power allows both the wicked and righteous to breathe in and breathe out, every second.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians to “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (5:21). When we become a servant like Jesus, willing to take last place, then we too are portraying God to our fellow travelers. Eugene Peterson says although Jesus spoke of a kingdom and a reign, he lived a life of service to others.

Submitting to just governing authorities may be the easiest area of submission because we can face fines or jail time for failures. Punishment is motivational. But submitting to those around us is often more difficult because pride has to sit down, selfishness has to back off, and egos, well, they need to go on vacation.

Off course there are limits to submission when lives are endangered or a God-trained conscience will be violated. Other areas of injustices should be prayerfully considered and confronted. Richard Foster says, “There is no such thing as a law of submission that will cover every situation.”

Something my husband, David, said helps us both to love and submit to each other. He says, “We’re both bright in spots.” We see the value in each other’s opinion and knowledge. And after 40 years of living together, we have just about learned to love each other unconditionally.

Practicing the kind of love God has for mankind will support submission to others: “But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit” (Psalm 86:15, MSG).

Lord, like you, help us to never give up on each other, but to hold each other in the highest regard because of your unfailing love to us.

Resurrect God's Love

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Resurrection Sunday, Easter, is a celebration of God’s extravagant love.

Genuine personal love, like none this world had ever experienced, marked the beginning, the middle, and the end of Jesus’ public ministry. At the beginning, Jesus attended a wedding, an embarrassing event where the host ran out of wine. Without a showy display, Jesus changed water into wine, not several decanters, but an extravagant 75-115 liters. From that time on, Judea, Galilee, and surrounding areas were about to experience unparalleled displays of love, grace, and mercy.

Throughout three years Jesus continued portraying the Heavenly Father with exact measure. The writer of Hebrews described Jesus as “the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being" (1:3). Jesus gave in the same way the Heavenly Father gives—over abundantly.

Jesus freely gave over-the-top care to the needy: withered limbs re-muscled; fishermen's nets overflowed; thousands ate from heaven's bread basket; massive waves and atmospheric elements obeyed his voice and ceased their violent nature — because extravagant God trod the earth in the person of Jesus Christ.

Nature’s obstacles weren't the only places Jesus mirrored the Holy God of heaven. He also crossed social and racial barriers. He esteemed women, often looked upon as mere property. Jesus conversed with a Samaritan woman, and her village hosted Jesus and his disciples for several days. He touched a woman, who was “unclean" because of illness. The outcasts of society, the unwanted, and the shunned ate at the same table with the Master of reconciliation.

As Jesus' last days drew near, in yet another loving kindness, he caused life to return to dead Lazarus, and a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. In attendance, Mary sensed the Master would soon depart this earth and what the exit would cost him. Through a reverent gift she expressed her love.

She poured about two cups of very expensive nard, worth a year’s wages, on Jesus’ feet. The scent permeated the air as she rubbed the rich emollients into his skin, and wiped the excess off with her hair. She had learned over-the-top giving from her superior Teacher.

A few dinners later, Jesus washed his disciples’ dust laden feet, and he called them to carry on his generous mission and calling them to love each other. Within hours, heaven’s mountainous mercy continued at the cross and the tomb where Jesus took on the sins of the world. There, he received undeserved punishment and his death became our rescue. Three days later, Jesus’ body was resurrected.

We resurrect and rekindle Jesus’ loving kindness each time we allow his generosity to flow through the beginning, middle and end of our walk with him.

Happy Resurrection Sunday.