Jason Sneed Simple Thoughts

Foundation Verse #3 – Proverbs 3:5

Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.”

TrustOur third foundation verse is a verse that just about every Christian knows but one of the hardest verses to put into practice.

TRUST!

As Christians, we place so much emphasis on this word. We sing songs about this word. We read scripture about this word. We listen to messages based around this word – but for the life of me, it is one of the most difficult things to do!

Our sin nature kicks in and we try to take care of situations that arise by ourselves instead of trusting God.

I think a key to this verse is found in the last part of verse 5, “with all your heart”. Warren Weirsbe puts it this way:

We must trust Him with all our heart and obey Him in all our ways. That means total commitment to Him (Romans 12:1-2). The word translated “trust” in verse 5 means “to lie helpless, facedown.” It pictures a servant waiting for the master’s command in readiness to obey, or a defeated soldier yielding himself to the conquering general.

Are you anticipating God’s command for you and are you ready to obey?

TRUST! Small word; big implications in the life of a Christian!

Jason Sneed Foundation Verses

Foundation Verse #2 – Matthew 6:24

Matthew-624-10-03-13“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Nothing like jumping into a verse like this on the second week of the foundation verses but what a verse it is!

Remember, God told us last week (Foundation Verse #1) that HE created everything and now HE is telling us that we have a choice. We have a choice to choose between HIM or money.

The word “serve” here indicates the work of a slave. Since a slave is the sole property of one master, he must give the master exclusive service. This verse is telling us that we are either going to be a slave to Jesus Christ or we are going to be a slave to money.

The last part of this verse is very, very clear – a person CAN NOT serve both God and money!

Materialism will do the following to a person:

  • Enslave the heart – Matthew 6:19-21
  • Enslave the mind – Matthew 6:22-23
  • Enslave the will – Matthew 6:24

It is important for us to not only look at this verse but look at the verses preceding this verse. These verses are talking about laying up treasures in heaven. Verse 21 tells us,

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Let me encourage you today to not place your trust (or your heart, mind or will) in money!

Charles Spurgeon said it like this:

God and the world will never agree, and however much we may attempt it, we shall never be able to serve both. Our danger is that in trying to gain money, or in the pursuit of any other object, we should put it out of its place, and allow it to get the mastery of our mind. Gain and godliness cannot both be masters of our souls: we can serve two, but not “two masters. ” You can live for this world, or live for the next; but to live equally for both is impossible. Where God reigns, the lust of gain must go.

Jason Sneed Quotes From My Reading

Four Directives

Quotes from my readings banner

In the first chapter in the book of Jeremiah, God says,

Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you (vs. 7-8 ESV)

God continues in verse 9,

Behold, I have put my words in your mouth…

Then God clear give Jeremiah four directives for him to follow:

But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you. Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. (v. 17 ESV)

Four Directives:

  1. Dress yourself for work – literally means to “gird up your loins” or prepare yourself for work
  2. Arise – he was told to get up and get ready
  3. Say – he was only allowed to say those things that God told him to say
  4. Do not be dismayed – as he works, God told him to not be troubled or to lose heart

Chapter one closes with some powerful words from the Lord,

They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to deliver you

POINTS TO PONDER:

  • Are you preparing yourself each day to do the work of the Lord?
  • Are you willing to get up and go to work for Him?
  • Do the words you say show you are allowing God to speak through you?
  • Are you allowing other people or circumstances to trouble you or to cause you to lose heart?
Jason Sneed Examine Yourself

Examine Yourself – What Is Within Your Heart?

Last week I began a series of posts about how we, as Christians, need to examine ourselves (II Corinthians 13:5) to make sure we are living out what God has told us to do.

In today’s post, we take a look at the heart. I love this quote – “Whatever the heart loves the ears will hear and the eyes will see”. So my first question is this – What does your heart love the most? Now before you jump in and answer that question with a resounding “JESUS”, please really think about the question and examine your life and the way you live it.

Think about where you spend most of your time. Think about what motivates you and what drives your passions and your desires. Look inside yourself and see where a majority of your time is going. Does your heart love:

  • Family
  • Children
  • Spouse
  • Job
  • Possessions
  • Pleasures
  • Bank Account

The list above is a list of things that are not bad things at all, but when they take the #1 spot in our lives, they become nothing more than idols that have taken the place of God.

So, whatever the heart loves the ears will hear and the eyes will see.  What do you hear and see the most in your life?

Again, I am not looking for fake answers here – I am looking for each of us to really look deep inside and find the real answer that is in all of us.

Solomon warns us in Proverbs 4:23 that we must guard our hearts:

Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

The definition of the word vigilance means “Alert watchfulness”. Solomon is telling us that we must always be on the alert about our heart. We must monitor it all the time because Jeremiah 19:7 says,

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
 and desperately wicked;
 who can understand it?

The wisest man that has ever lived told us that we must guard our hearts because he knew that our hearts would lead us astray and would get fixed on other things besides God.

When Robert Robinson wrote the words to the song “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” , he understood a little about how the heart could lead us astray if we are not careful to guard it. He wrote these words,

O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee;

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it; Seal it for Thy courts above.

We must guard against a heart that is pulling us away from God. We must guard our hearts against things like our job, our money, our possessions, our family & even our church. Because if we love them more than God, our heart is leading us astray.

We need to daily pray Psalm 139:23 – “Search me, O God, and know my heart”

“Whatever the heart loves the ears will hear and the eyes will see”.