Nate Crandall

“A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:28   A city which builds walls around it does so to protect itself from its enemies. If the wall is in disrepair or broken down, it leaves itself open to attack. There is no longer any reasonable sense of security. The comparison to a man without self-control follows. He has no reason to believe that he will be protected from his enemies. The interesting twist is that his enemies come from within instead of without. His lack of self-control keeps him unprotected from the evil that is within his heart. The things that Jesus talked about in Mark 7:21-22, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.” When we receive Jesus as the Lord of our life, he begins a work in our hearts which puts a hold on the evil that comes from within. Self-control is a frui

“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” Proverbs 24:11   This proverb highlights two different ways that people are heading to their deaths. Certainly it is talking about physical death, but it can also apply to spiritual and other kinds of deaths. Some are having life forcibly taken from them. Others are stumbling to their own death, unaware where they are headed. Both need an intervention. One of the terms used to describe the Lord Jesus is advocate. 1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Because sin affects us all, we all need an advocate. Thank God that he is merciful and advocates for us. As Jesus is our advocate who rescues us from death, we in turn as his followers are called to follow his same example and advocate for those who are headed that direction. Our ver

“Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.” Proverbs 23:12   One of the most challenging things I have discovered in my ministry as a pastor is the personal application of biblical truth. It’s tough to do it myself, and it’s tough to help others do it also. There are also layers of application. Asking someone to help bring food in for the Men’s Homeless Shelter is a good thing to do, but digging down into the reason why we should give to someone in need is a deeper level of application. It is also one that we tend to avoid because it’s more difficult. Here’s the reason why we should go deep. Real life flows out of our heart. Fullness of life comes from our heart being filled with the fullness of God. If our heart is not in it, then we are cheating ourselves of the blessing that the Lord wants to give us. We are standing in the way of knowing God as fully as he wants us to know him. Now there are many things in this life that are not worth putting our

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6   When our son was young, we had this verse displayed in his room. The picture that went with it was a train. Although that was a play on words, there is something to be said about how an actual train works that is insightful in our walk with Christ. A train does not deviate from predetermined tracks, unless there is a bad accident. The train is not like a car that can choose its’ own route. In order to go anywhere it must have the two rails to guide it. In the same way our spiritual direction has been pre-determined by the Lord. If we are to go anywhere, spiritually speaking, it must be in line with the Word of God and the Spirit of God. We must have both. The Pharisees had the Word of God, but their hearts were hard. They were not led by God’s Spirit. The Corinthians were led by the Spirit, but the apostle Paul had many words of instruction for them because they were no

“A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.” Proverbs 21:22   A stronghold is in fact something that has a strong hold over us. Strongholds are not easily dislodged otherwise they would be called weak-holds. It takes more than strength of will to bring down a stronghold. It takes wisdom. Wisdom can be defined as “knowing what the greatest goal is in any situation, and what the best way is to achieve it.” (John Piper) When you talk about pulling down a stronghold, courage must also be involved. Knowing that a stronghold must go does not make the act of getting rid of it any easier. It takes hard work and great skill to scale the stronghold, whatever it may be. It would seem that the greater the stronghold, the greater the wisdom is needed to bring it down. Every stronghold is different. Therefore, the solution to each one is different. Wisdom that is effective in one area will not be sufficient for another area. This is one rea

“Who can say, ‘I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin’?” Proverbs 20:9   No one who falls into the mud thinks that they can clean themselves up without water and soap and a clean change of clothes. Yet, there is a brand of foolishness which toys with the idea that outside help is not needed to clean up the sin in a person’s heart. Even more foolish is the notion that the heart is basically good instead of basically evil for it denies the reality that sinful actions stem from what’s in a person’s heart. Into this “enlightened” worldview the Bible speaks a word of truth. “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) The wise understand that this is the reality of the human sinful nature. The wise know that there is nothing they can do to change the condition of their heart to make it pure. The wise know, however, that Jesus can.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” Proverbs 19:17   The heart that is inclined toward the Lord is compassionate to the poor. A generous heart does not turn away, but rejoices in the opportunity to help someone in need. There is giving, and then there is generous giving. It does not focus on what is being lost but is pleased with thinking about what the one in need will gain. It is interesting that from the Lord’s perspective, generosity is a loan that will be repaid. Because the gift comes out of the well of grace, there will be a continual filling of the well by God for being generous in the future. The repayment does not need to be financial gain, and in fact the generous giver is not moved by whether it comes as a financial boon or a spiritual blessing. If financial, the generous only see such rewards as further opportunity to be generous. In contrast, the reluctant giver has no such promise. There is no expectation of

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” Proverbs 18:9   Slack in a rope has no pulling power. You must first straighten it out before you can accomplish anything. Being slack in your work means that time and opportunity are wasted. Not only is this comparable to stealing from an employer, it also steals from your satisfaction and sense of accomplishment. The Lord made us to work. The Sabbath command includes in it the command to work for six days. In our work it is not only foolish to waste time and energy, it is also dangerous. Notice that Solomon didn’t say that the slacker is second cousin once removed from the destroyer. He said he is a brother. What does being slack in our work destroy? It destroys our joy and sense of self. Yes, work brings joy because it honors God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” To respect God and honor his commands,

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22   My grandmother told me the story many years ago of a man who was very sick. I do not know what his condition was or his prognosis, but I do know that it was serious. He responded to his sickness by acquiring all of the funny movies, like Laurel and Hardy, that he could find and watching them continually. I still remember how she told me that he laughed and laughed and laughed. Eventually, his condition improved. This verse was one that she used to tell me about why he was healed. I was very young when she told me that story, so I don’t remember the particulars very well. I don’t know if there is any way that I could follow up to examine what happened in more detail. However, I do know that my grandmother was convinced in the reason for his healing because she applied the lesson to her life. I remember laughing with her as we talked and spent time together, and those times were always ex

“Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 16:32   Of all of the things to master in life, mastery of oneself is perhaps the most difficult. Under pressure our emotions scream to be set free. It takes super strength to keep them under control, and that strength, comparatively, is greater even than the strength it takes to attack and subdue a city. We know that Solomon was the wisest man in history, but it seems hard to believe the truth of this statement at first glance. We need to ask the question, in what way is the self-controlled person better than those with this power and strength? In one sense, both the self-controlled and the mighty have subdued an opponent, but is the way they are subdued the same? The powerful can force others into submission. The nature of causing our spirit to submit is different. Self-control is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It comes out of the overflow of a heart that is sub

“The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 15:33   Proverbs 15 is a treasure of wisdom, so my first thought is to encourage the reading and meditation on the entire chapter before reading any further. This final verse of chapter 15 is a culmination of sorts of the wisdom contained in it. Notice that the fear of the Lord is “instruction in wisdom.” Without it, the words of the wise will bounce off of us rather than penetrating our minds and hearts. Just because we have a pithy saying at our disposal doesn’t mean we know how to use it in truth. Having money without wisdom will insure that the money doesn’t last long. Having a quick wit without wisdom will insure that the will to carry out a prudent lifestyle never materializes. Only the fear of the Lord will insure that a person will become wise. To fear the Lord is to respect his laws, his ways and himself. The moral laws are some of his laws. The laws of nature are also his law

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12   I am a big Star Wars fan. The new spinoff series, The Mandalorian , has really hooked me. In the series you are introduced to the order of Mandalorians who have a very prescribed and rigid code of life and conduct. When referring to it they will often say, “This is the way.” Whether our way is well thought out and rigid, like the Mandalorians, or on the fly and flexible or anywhere in between, it is wise to think about whether or not it is the right way. Even more, it is wise to think about why it is the right way. There are many different ways which have many different underlying reasons for why their way is better than another way. Most people don’t think about why until the fruit of their way comes to harvest. Some ways that seem right can lead to disaster. Well-meaning people can follow these ways and not realize where they are headed. How can we know that the way we are followin

“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20   Walking in our modern society is typically for the purpose of exercise and leisure. In the days of Proverbs walking was the mode of transportation. So when verse 20 talks about walking with the wise it takes on a greater dimension. One cannot become wise by a leisure time kind of commitment. It must be a decided lifestyle choice, consistent and dedicated. Behind everything of value there is a commitment to its growth and development. Fools lack the ability to commit to seeing something of value grow because they either do not recognize value or appreciate it. Seeing worth in whatever it is that we desire growth is the first step before the commitment is made to its development. If we can see it, whether literally or figuratively, then we are able to take the steps required for change. When you walk with the wise you begin to see what wisdom is like, its nature and benefit

“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Proverbs 12:25   This might just be the proverb of the year for 2020. All of the unknowns that the whole world has been facing have been a heavy burden, and we are all just waiting for a good word so that we can breathe a sigh of relief that it is all over. Along the way there have been some good words such as when the initial quarantine period was over, when there was good news for certain treatments for COVID, and last week when I heard that the clinical trials of a vaccine were in their 3 rd and final phase of trials. The problem that we have faced this year is that we have been waiting a long time for these good words. In the time of the wait, the weight of anxiety for many has almost been unbearable. What do we do when the time between the uncertainty and the good word is long and drawn out? Some go into hibernation and shut out the world. Others ignore reality like the ostrich hiding its head

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” Proverbs 11:24   If you’ve ever seen the movie It’s A Wonderful Life it’s likely that you can vividly remember the story of George Bailey. The story follows his life from birth through his years as a child who always wished for a million dollars, as a young man who dreamed of going places and building things, to a middle-aged married man with a wife, a bunch of kids and barely two dollars to his name who had never left his hometown of Bedford Falls. Along the way he had kept to his responsibilities, many times somewhat reluctantly, and done the right thing, even keeping his head during the run on the banks during the Great Depression. As such he was highly respected in town. However, from his own point of view he viewed himself as a failure until one day when Clarence the Angel came and helped him to see just how rich of a man he was. At the end of the movie, George’s yo

“He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” Proverbs 10:5   When harvest time comes around I’m always amazed at the number of combines I see with their lights on working late into the night. Harvest is not the time for sitting around. It is the most intense part of the farmer’s year. On a more general scale, when it’s time to work, the wise person will be busy with it. The foolish make excuses, sleep late, and put off what needs to be done until it’s too late to complete the tasks or until the tasks can only be completed in a subpar manner. What the foolish don’t see is how their behavior impacts their family and the people around them. Parents feel the burden and, yes, even the shame of working hard to train their children to be diligent in their work and not seeing it take root. In contrast, the family who sees their children grow to engage in the work of the family and even initiate that work without being told is

“Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.” Proverbs 9:8   The scoffer shows contempt through ridicule and mockery. When you bring truth or correction to a scoffer, what you get is a bulls-eye painted on your forehead. You then become the object of their ridicule and mockery. The reason is because the scoffer lives to spew out contempt, and is always on the lookout for someone or something on which to have it land. How drastically different is the response of a wise person! In contrast, the wise one is always on the lookout for truth. When truth is presented, however that truth comes, it becomes like a lightbulb to a moth. Even when the truth is in the form of correction, the wise person is drawn to it and to its presenter. The nature of wisdom is to look for an object of value even when it is hidden in the most unlikely of places, even when it is presented in the most unappealing wrapping. It may seem like hate and love are over

“Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? …Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.” Proverbs 8:1, 10-11   Wisdom is a hard sell to our default human nature. When faced with the choice between riches and wisdom, selfish desire rises up within us. Some have even made wealth a spiritual pursuit, even thinking that it is a sign of spirituality. Others will approach wisdom and wealth and say, “Why can’t I have both?” Indeed, there are some who have both wealth and wisdom, but I can guarantee you that it is because they have pursued wisdom over and above wealth. But for now the choice before us is either or. Faced with the choice of Solomon, whom God told to ask for whatever he wished, would we choose wisdom? In our heart of hearts would we really be ok with leaving a heap of gold on the table and walking away? How do you know that wisdo

“My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live.” Proverbs 7:1-2   What is the result of not keeping God’s commandments? In the end the result is death. Certainly physical death is the end of us all, but along the way in life there are many deaths. There is the death of a dream, the death of a friendship, the death of opportunity, the death of hope, the death of an idea, and many other kinds of deaths. Many of these come because of a lack of wisdom. It is wise to keep the commandments of the Lord. To keep the commandments of the Lord you first need to know them. Our society seems to have forgotten many of them including the one to which Proverbs 7 is especially aimed, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) Adultery is a great contributor to all kinds of death. It’s seduction has taken “many a victim” (v. 26) and laid them low. The number of her slain are “a mighty throng.” (v.26) How do we avoid the many kinds of death t

" Go to   the ant, O   sluggard;   consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief,   officer, or ruler, s he prepares her bread   in summer   and gathers her food in harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8 Getting out of bed on a cold, Wisconsin morning can be oh so hard! When we are young our parents may be our motivation for starting the day. Then we graduate to an alarm clock. As we get older our body clock does the trick. But in spite of the reason we leave our bed in the morning, without an internal drive which stems from wisdom, we can easily be caught in the ways of the sluggard. The ant is not driven by someone telling it to get out of bed or to go do its work. It is internally motivated to be prepared. The Boy Scout motto is "Be prepared," but you need more than a motto to follow through. There needs to be a fire inside, an engine running that is continually fed by the fuel of wisdom. According to Pastor John Piper, "Wisdom is knowing what is the greatest g

" Drink   water from your own cistern,  flowing water from your own well." Proverbs 5:15 One of the most clear reasons for the existence of a sinful nature is the universal tendency to want something that does not belong to you. Rather than being satisfied with what we have, we look at the greener grass on the other side of the fence. It doesn't matter how good and clear our own water is, somehow our neighbor's well is always better.  The answer to the pull of the sinful nature does not depend on what our neighbor has. It has everything to do with our gratitude to God for what we have. We can be satisfied with what the Lord has decided to bless us with when we realize he has given us his very best.  His gifts are tailor-made for us individually. He is wise in his gift giving. He does not give by accident. He is purposeful and intentional. When we lose our gratitude for his gifts in our life, it is symptom that we lost sight of him. The impact of the spiritual nature,

"The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,   and whatever you get, get insight." Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is a pursuit which begins with the understanding that it must be pursued. Of all the things that we value in life, wisdom is perhaps the least likely to make a top ten list. Yet, having wisdom allows us to know what to value and makes the rest of our life pursuits satisfying and fulfilling.  The genie who grants three wishes stipulates that the person who set him free can't use one of his wishes to ask for more wishes. Yet, in one sense, finding wisdom is like that. Wisdom is like a fountain that continues to bubble up. The wise value wisdom, so they seek and find and are satisfied. Such is the nature of wisdom.  In seeking wisdom we must ask in faith. The seeking is not dependent on our own ability to find but in our confident assurance that the Lord will provide. Our search is not solitary. It is a journey led by the Spirit, directed by the Christ Jesus who is the Wor

" 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."   Proverbs 3:5-6 There  is a difference between belief that exists in the mind and belief that exists in the heart. Belief in the mind can be separated from the things that produce life. Belief that stems from the heart is where life begins. Trust, belief, faith - when these rise up from our innermost being, from our heart, then the power of God begins to work.  Belief in our own understanding does not make room for the unlimited work of God. It makes room for human ability and human work, but not for God's work. What would you rather have, the insight of the unlimited knowledge and wisdom of God or the limited knowledge and wisdom of humanity?  The promise here is that God will work in your life when your trust him from your heart. If you trust with your heart, the rest of you comes along because who you really are i

"For   the   Lord   gives wisdom;   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." Proverbs 2:6 If you want to be wise, there is a place you can go to get it. It doesn't cost any money, but it will cost everything you have. You will have to let go of your treasures in order to hold on to wisdom. You will have to loose your hold on the thoughts which seem so real to you in order to make way for the wisdom that comes from the LORD. You will have to stop trying to ask God and tell God and direct God so that you can listen to God. In order to hear what is coming from someone's mouth you have to be intentional about hearing it and trying to understand what they are saying. This requires taking off the built in filter that we all have which seeks to reframe, redirect, and refocus the conversation. You can't learn wisdom from God if you don't really listen to him. This kind of listening requires a recognition that the knowledge and understanding that he gives is g

"Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;  they will seek me diligently but will not find me.  Because they hated knowledge   and did not choose the fear of the  Lord." Proverbs 1:28-29 Our decisions have consequences. When the Lord offers us the gift of forgiveness, it does not mean that our past decisions will then be retroactively replaced with different ones. Of course, some decisions have small impact while others last for the rest of our lives.  The decision to pursue or not pursue wisdom likewise has consequences. The many benefits of seeking wisdom are discussed at length in the book of Proverbs, but the results of not seek wisdom are also included. The reason they exist and are included is to serve as a warning. At some point the decision not to pursue wisdom leads to the point of no return -- the point where wisdom will no longer be attainable no matter how diligently it is sought. The reason for this point of no return is because of the choice to hate le

" Every word of God proves true;   he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." Proverbs 30:5 The beginning words of the gospel of John say that Jesus is the Word of God. As the Word he came to prove that the words of God found in the scripture were true. He fulfilled every one of them. Even to the last moments of his life when he asked for something to drink as he was dying on the cross and the soldiers gave him sour wine.  So when the Word of God says that God is a shield to those who take refuge in him, this promise can be counted on. It can be trusted. This word of God can be proven to be true. It only takes the courage to test it out and see. The scriptures which describe or reveal the Lord to us show us how we can take refuge in him. We don't just take refuge in the Lord by trusting in his promises for help. We also take refuge in him by coming to the Word of God and allowing it to give us hope, peace and to renew our minds on ultimate realities which only come

"Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint,   but blessed is he who keeps the law." -- Proverbs 29:18 Prophecy rightly understood communicates one of two things: What God is doing NOW or what God will do in the FUTURE. Much of biblical prophecy focuses on the first, but the second is what tends to get all of the attention. Both of the two aspects of prophecy depend on the ability to see with spiritual eyes.  There are many different kinds of vision, but each kind could be placed into one of two categories: Seeing from God's perspective or seeing from a human perspective. Seeing from God's perspective is a gift from Him. Without it we all see from our own perspective. The difference is that God's perspective takes into account his unlimited knowledge and wisdom. Our limited perspective takes into account our limited knowledge and wisdom. God's law or his commands are a restraining influence in the world. But just because God's law exi

  " Those who forsake the law   praise the wicked,   but those who keep the law strive against them." -- Proverbs 28:4 The first five books of the Bible are referred to as "The Law".  It's not really the greatest word to describe what is contained in them because, although there are laws or commands, it could be more accurately described as the story of the relationship between God and the people of Israel. As a part of this relationship which the LORD initiated through various covenants, there were expectations to be met. The people were expected to keep God's laws. As becomes clear when you read the New Testament, keeping God's laws was not possible for anyone. So when Jesus came and kept all of God's laws, he not only provided the means for people to be saved from the consequences of breaking the law, he also, by his actions, emphasized that the law is righteous and all together good.  As followers of Christ we also follow in his footsteps in foll

"The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and a man is tested by his praise." Proverbs 27:21 Former Coach of the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy, stated when he began his tenure in Green Bay that the toughest challenge that the team would face is success. He turned out to be one of the winningest coach that the Packers have had, leading them to a Super Bowl victory in 2010. McCarthy, in spite of his success, was fired because expectations had risen so high that even his track record of wins could not compete.  The test of our character is revealed in two ways: either through trial or through success. The test of praise, when others are focusing on our successes, brings with it a temptation to think too highly of ourselves and to forget that our wins come as a result of the grace of God. Even the ability to work hard to achieve success comes from the grace of God. Though it may be subtle, the pride which sneaks in from praise actually works to remove the grace

" Answer not a fool according to his folly,   lest you be like him yourself.   Answer a fool according to his folly,   lest he be wise in his own eyes."   (Proverbs 26:4-5) I once asked my mentor, Pastor Bernie Wethington, about these two verses because of what was clearly to me a contradiction in their message. He simply responded that there is nothing you can do with a fool.  Sometimes the wisest thing is not complex but just a simple reflection of truth. Humanly speaking there is nothing to be done with the foolish. Whatever might be tried to help them to let go of their foolish thinking will not work. Humanly speaking that is. However, the Lord is more than able to change the heart and mind of a fool. Truth be told, we are all fools until our eyes are opened to the light and the glory of the gospel of Christ -- something that only God can do. So let us not respond with pride to the fools in this world. Let us not attempt to correct their ways with our wisdom. Let us in fa

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”   (2 Corinthians 11:3) The greater the love, the greater the devotion. Followers of Jesus do daily devotions out of dedication and discipline, but the greatest reason is devotion to Jesus. This devotion to the Lord can be easily sidetracked from its pure form by any manner of life distractions. Ultimately, when the love of anything else comes between us and our love for the Lord, our devotion gets watered down. So then true believers must be diligent to maintain purity of devotion to Christ. This is more than emotional or even spiritual zeal. It’s not about human effort to stay true to the Lord. It’s about the renewing of our minds daily by the Word. The Spirit leads us into all the truth through the Word. We must trust that we are being led by the Spirit as we allow the Word of the Lord to wash over our thoughts, keeping them in line with the