Proverbs 14

by Live Original | Mar 12, 2020 | Life Advice | 2 comments

WISE WOMEN

After reading through Proverbs 14, we are inspired and encouraged to be the type of women that God calls us to be.

Proverbs 14 compares and contrasts the wise with the foolish. As women of God, we have influence on other people’s lives. Yes, every single one of us has influence on this world in some way or another. We want to steward our influence and energy in positive and wise ways, and Proverbs 14 is a great guide to help us do so!

Want to start from the beginning? Start with Proverbs 1 HERE.

Let’s get started!

Verse 1: Every wise woman encourages and builds up her family, but a foolish woman over time will tear it down by her own actions.

When reading this at first glance, some of us may think it doesn’t apply to us. We may be thinking this only applies to women who are married with children, and yes it does apply to them, but it applies to ALL women. Like we said before, you have influence in one way or another. Your “family” in this this verse could be your roommate, friends, teammates, it could really be anyone you have any sort of connection with. Your family is your people.

Let’s be real, no one wants to “tear down” their people or would ever intentionally do so. But if we are not careful with what we say or do, we can hurt people easier than we think. So how do we avoid this?

Solomon says the key is being wise. And how do we know we are being wise? By diving into the word and listening to what God says. Bringing every situation to Him first before seeking answers in other people or things.  Proverbs 14 lays it out beautifully for us.

Verse 3: The words of a proud fool will all come back to haunt him. But the words of the wise will become a shield of protection around them.

Our words are so important. In verse 3 we see that our words can become a “shield of protection,” if we are wise with what we are saying. This can be a simple as thinking before we speak and being the security check point for what is coming out of our mouths.

On the other hand, we can tear people down so easily with our words if we choose to be foolish and careless with what we are saying. It is easy to get lost in a moment and say things that we may not even mean. We can get caught up in gossip or putting others down to make ourselves feel better, but we need to remind ourselves that our words have POWER and we have influence. So, let’s choose our words wisely and build each other up by speaking truth and life.

Verse 7-8: The words of the wise are like weapons of knowledge. If you need wise counsel, stay away from the fool. For the wisdom of the wise will keep life on the right track, while the fool only deceives himself and refuses to face reality.

 In verse 7 and 8 we see Solomon talking about words and counsel. He calls wise words “weapons of knowledge.” Sometimes it is hard to discern what is wise and what is foolish, but the best way to test this when someone gives you advice is to check it with what the Bible says. If you have someone speaking into your life, the words should be rooted in Biblical truth, which will ultimately put you on the right path, rather than blindly following words that come from someone who may just be inserting their opinion rather than trying to lead in what God says about a situation.

Verse 12-13: You can rationalize it all you want, and justify the path of error you have chosen,
but you’ll find out in the end that you took the road to destruction. Superficial laughter can hide a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the pain resurfaces.

This part of the verse really made us reflect. How often do we rationalize sin? ALL THE TIME. It is second nature for some of us to tell ourselves that what we’re doing is not that bad, or we look to our neighbors and compare our sin to theirs to make us feel better about what we have done wrong. This leads to destruction. In reality, we’re all sinners and we are all undeserving of God’s grace, but we are given grace anyway!

Instead of justifying our sin, and brushing it off, we can actually bring those burdens to God and He says that He will make our burdens light! We can come to Him in surrender and experience freedom by admitting that we need a Savior.

Verse 13 talks about “superficial laughter” and how it can “hide a heavy heart.” We think this is very relatable to today. In order to make light of hard circumstances, some of us will just laugh and make jokes, when in reality, the pain of that hurt won’t go away. Addressing the problem and admitting the pain shows strength and is a sign of a wise woman. Bringing that heavy heart to God will allow for healing, rather than just laughing things off to hide the pain.

Verse 26-27: Confidence and strength flood the hearts of the lovers of God who live in awe of him, and their devotion provides their children with a place of shelter and security. To worship God in wonder and awe opens a fountain of life within you, empowering you to escape death’s domain.

Wow, so many good things to unpack in those verses. First off, we all crave inner confidence and strength, don’t we? This verse said that confidence and strength will “flood our hearts” when we love God and are in awe of Him. When we choose to seek God, we get to experience the confidence, strength, and LIFE. When we worship God, it opens “a fountain of life”. This is real joy and freedom! When we choose Him, we are no longer slaves to death, but we get to experience life and life in abundance while knowing that we get to spend an eternity with our Savior! How cool is that?!

Verse 29-30: When your heart overflows with understanding, you’ll be very slow to get angry. But if you have a quick temper, your impatience will be quickly seen by all. A tender, tranquil heart will make you healthy, but jealousy can make you sick.”

 In verses 29 and 30, Solomon addresses anger, patience and jealousy. Three topics that a lot of us can relate to on a daily basis. Being understanding for others is the first step to not getting angry. It is so hard when we have blinders’ on and can’t see something from another person’s perspective, and it causes us to get angry. But if we try and put ourselves in their shoes, we will be slow to anger and learn to become more patient with those who may act or think differently than us.

Solomon talks about jealousy and how it can actually cause you to be “sick.” We think King Solomon is addressing anxiety here. One of the key factors of anxiety is comparing everyone else’s lives to our and then becoming jealous of what others have. This could not ring more true today. We are constantly looking at other’s highlight reels of their lives and wishing ours looked the same, and it causes us to be sick. But if we choose to look inward and focus on our own lives and our own personal walk with Jesus, it will slowly begin to heal our hearts and we can become healthy.

We want to end on this note. This chapter of Proverbs is packed with truth about positive ways to live our lives and to be “wise.” Some of us may read this chapter and think, “Wow I feel really like the foolish one.” But that is the beauty of the Gospel. No matter how foolish, messed up, or wrong we may be, we are given GRACE and can become wise by listening to what God has to say to us. He is not keeping a record of everything we have done wrong and thinking we are foolish. He sees us as His children and wants to give us the best fatherly advice that He can give. He wants to see us full of life and joy! We are given access to the BEST life advice from a Heavenly Father that loves us. We can have peace knowing that He always has our best interest at heart.

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Remembering Kobe Bryant

by Live Original | Jan 28, 2020 | Life Advice | 11 comments

“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” 1 Cor. 13:12

The current life expectancy for citizens in the U.S is 78.93 years old. That is not going to be the story for Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the seven others that were on board a helicopter that crashed Sunday morning near Los Angeles. The devastating news broke out shortly after, and endless fans, family, and loves ones have spoken out about the unexpected tragedy.

Kobe Bryant belonged to the LA Lakers for his entire 20-year NBA career and became the 4^th highest scoring player in NBA history.

The truth is, Kobe was a lot of things in his life: a husband, a father, a hero, an icon, and whether people personally knew him or not, for many he felt like a beloved confidant and friend.

For the friends and family of the lives lost on Sunday, their lives will forever be changed. They will be eternally marked by this event. Our deepest sorrows go out to each of their families as they mourn and navigate a new way of life, absent of the ones engraved in the very beat of their hearts.

Friends, the thing is, death was never in the plan. Helicopter crashes were never in God’s narrative. Sudden tragedy is not God’s best for us. Yet, here we are, wondering the million-dollar question with tears in our eyes: Why?

Why was a 41-year-old father and husband and 13-year-old daughter taken? And for the other passengers: why were two parents and a daughter ripped away from this earth, leaving their two other children parentless?

These are questions that are even heartbreaking to have to ask.

There’s so much we don’t know. But as the people of God, what are we to say? That simply “we don’t know”? Absolutely not. There are SO many questions that we, as children of God, are wrestling with. SO many things that we don’t have answers for. And that is part of walking with a God who knows more than we can comprehend. But brothers and sisters, we know more than we think. We know the promises of God.

During any time of loss and tragedy, we are allowed to speak out the truth that we do know, share the hope that we’ve found, and with the love and comfort we’ve been given, we must also give and pour out.

So what does the church say? As the people of God, how do we face this reality of death and not run from it? How can we be the presence of Jesus in the midst of sorrow in this broken and hurting world?

1. Pray:

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

 As followers of Jesus, we have FULL access to the God who is in control. When we pray, God hears us. When we pray, we join in with God’s heart. If loss breaks your heart, it breaks God’s all the more. God hates death and heartache and deep loss. When you pray, you are joining forces with a God who cares deeply for his children. Plead with God to bring comfort, divine moments, and peace to all families and friends impacted by death.

2. Listen and Comfort:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.” 2 Cor. 1:3-5

 Death is one of the most painful things we can experience in our life. Mourning is a huge part of loss. We must grieve, mourn, and go through the deepest pain to let God bring us hope and peace. But we see here that Jesus is showing through him, we have access to the God of all comfort and we can be sources of His comfort to the people around us. So many times we back away because we don’t know what to say. This is a time when words are not needed, your presence is. With that, it is important that we are quick to show up and listen, not always be quick to speak. Let God deeply comfort others through you.

3. Speak Truth:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” 1Peter 3:18

 Friends, as we mentioned, we should be quick to listen and comfort to those who are grieving. But knowing this truth, we should always be prayerful of opportunities to share that our death on earth doesn’t have to be the end of the story.

Jesus hates death and that is why he came to earth: to defeat it on our behalf. Jesus put eternal death TO death on the cross once and for all and each of us have an opportunity to bring the truth of eternal life to those around us.

4. Offer Hope:

“He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.” Revelation 21:4

Our world isn’t becoming any less broken any time soon, but our eternal home also isn’t going anywhere either. We have hope in the unseen, even in the midst of the worst, seemingly unbearable pain on earth. This hope does not put us to shame or turn us away to come back another day. This hope doesn’t run out. This hope promises us that a day is coming where the brokenness will cease, the unknown will fade away, and our loves ones are restored in the presence of Jesus.

We’ll close with the words of Kobe: “We’ve been through our ups and we’ve been through our downs. I think the most important part is that we all stay together throughout….. All I can do here is just thank you guys for the years of support, the years of motivation, the inspiration… Mamba out.”

*This post is dedicated to all nine passengers from Sunday’s helicopter crash. May you rest in peace.

Proverbs 13

by Live Original | Jan 15, 2020 | Life Advice

Grace for the journey.

That is the saying that comes to mind when we think of Proverbs 13! This chapter is all about patience, faith, and belief in what we can’t always see. It’s about taking God at His promises, refusing to compromise when life offers us a temporary way out.

What a sweet time it’s been studying the Proverbs together month after month.

This book, filled with wisdom from God given to King Solomon, offers a way of life unlike the world’s way. It’s a way of prudence and patience for the journey.

If you have specific desires and hopes today for this new decade, bring them to the forefront as you work through this Proverb and know that those desires matter. God is unfolding a story, bit by bit, just for you!

Want to start from the beginning? Start with Proverbs 1 HERE.

Now let’s dive in!

Verse 3 (TPT): Guard your words and you’ll guard your life, but if you don’t control your tongue, it will ruin everything.

Our mouth is by far the most powerful tool we have. James speaks of the tongue by saying, “Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things.” James 3:4 (ESV)

So many times, we want to say exactly what we are thinking in the moment, but it is a discipline to learn the rhythms of when, where, and how to use our tongue.

Remember friend, once you speak, you can’t ever get those words back. Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Verse 4: The slacker wants it all and ends up with nothing, but the hard worker ends up with all that he longed for.

Have you ever looked at someone’s life and thought “How did they get there?” Maybe they’re having great success or even great joy that you wish you had. Truth is, when you see a snapshot of someone’s life that is having success in any given area, they didn’t get there overnight! It most likely accompanied endless nights, even endless prayers of asking God to equip them every day with diligence in that area.

Pray for God to give you a steadfast heart of diligence today. Thank Him for what you have today and ask that he would continue to equip you on the journey.

Verse 7: One pretends to be rich but is poor. Another pretends to be poor but is quite rich.

What does this verse really point out there? The main root issue is humility! All throughout scripture we see people who wanted to be great/successful/powerful in the public eye. They were the ones who were actually spiritually poor. It was the meek/humble/servant hearted that were called up in God’s kingdom.

Want to be rich in God’s economy? Live by the be-attitudes shown in Matthew 5:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Verse 13: Despise the word, will you? Then you’ll pay the price and it won’t be pretty! But the one who honors the Father’s holy instructions will be rewarded.

We’ve covered the power of our tongue, the diligence of our hands, and now this verse covers our ability to use another vital part of our spiritual well-being: Our ears!

How is your ability to listen and take instruction? Even more, correction? Truth is, God disciplines those He loves (Hebrews 12:6) and friend, He loves YOU! He wants the best for you and knows that sanctification comes with instruction.

Do you ask Him to instruct and guide you? If so, this verse says that you will be rewarded with discernment, wisdom, and the fruits of the spirit.

Verse 19-20: When God fulfills your longings, sweetness fills your soul. But the wicked refuse to turn from darkness to see their desires come to pass. If you want to grow in wisdom, spend time with the wise. Walk with the wicked and you’ll eventually become just like them.

Do you remember the last time you had a prayer answered? Do you remember the feeling? Didn’t it feel like God is nearer to you to you than ever? That is what Solomon is referring to when he says, “sweetness fills your soul”. He goes as far to connect this process with spending time with people who will celebrate with you and point you to the correct desires.

Takeaway here? Let God and your people into your desires and celebrate together when they are fulfilled!

Verse 25: The lovers of God will have more than enough, but the wicked will always lack what they crave.

God’s love is a full kind of life. It will fulfill your desires, it will show up for you in the night, it will comfort you in your tears, and it will follow through on its promises. God is love. And we get to be the recipients of this love, it will be more than enough to satisfy our souls today, tomorrow and forever.

Ready to put those cravings to rest today? Find that rest in Him.

We hope you enjoyed studying Chapter 13 with us today! If you’d like to share something that stuck out to you, feel free to comment below and we’ll do our best to get back to you!

XO

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Passion 2020 Highlights

by Live Original | Jan 8, 2020 | Life Advice | 3 comments

What a year it has ALREADY been! The Live Original Team had the honor of attending this year’s Passion Conference at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. The house, filled with 65,000 young adults and the presence of the Holy Spirit, gathered together for a time of worship, incredible speaking, and preparation for this new decade.

Friends, it did not disappoint. We were and continue to be blown away at all that God is doing in this generation. You know, some say that we are the “godless generation”, with only 4% of millennials having a “biblical worldview” (according to a survey done by American Culture Faith Institute), but the millennials who packed out Atlanta on NYE beg to differ. Those who attended the conference worshipped on behalf of every young person and proclaimed that this generation would not be labeled as godless, but as God-filled.

Check out some of our favorite moments from Passion Conference 2020!

1. SHARE LIGHT: Right now, there are 3.2 billion people in the world who share their life on social media. We do this because when we love something, or something impacts us (whether serious or hilarious), we want to share it. But as Christians, we are met with this sobering reality: There are currently 3,865 people groups in the world today without a translation of the bible in their mother language. If we believe the call that “it is finished”, then it is time we do something about it. It is time to share it.

So, the team at Passion created the “Share Light” movement, teaming up with multiple translation organization to raise money to fund these translations so that every person on earth can know that God is love through His son, Jesus. This is found in the living and breathing Word.

The mission? To have every people group have access to scripture in their language by the year 2033.

With that, the million dollar question (pun intended) is…how much did Passion 2020 raise? In just three days, we were able to raise a total of $1,214,175. Won’t He do it! This was by far our favorite moment to know that that much is going toward the most noble cause on earth.

Join us in praying for this initiative that it would be so in our lifetime for His name and His renown!

To find out more about “Share Light”, check out their website HERE!

2. LEVI LUSKO: Levi asked the question: “What are you building your life on?” and it had us all thinking. His message, “Bunnies, blizzards, bedrocks”, looked back at a century ago to show us that what we are building now will impact us in the future.

Favorite quote: “Never take down a fence until you know why it was put up.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

3. JOHN PIPER: Piper, who is one of the founders of Passion Conference with Loui and Shelley years ago, delivered a powerful “back to basics” talk on the desire of our souls.

His argument: “If the desire to know Jesus isn’t your greatest desire, you won’t just waste your life, you’ll lose it.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

4. SADIE ROB HUFF: What can we say? This brought tears to our eyes. Yes, on a personal friend level, but also just as lovers of Jesus and truth level.

Sadie’s talk, titled “The Search is Over”, was a mash up of the past and present. She breaks down that relationships today have a process of love. But the love of Jesus laid out in the book of John through his relationship with Peter show a different kind of love. An immediate, unwavering, unconditional kind of love. A love having no process. A love that’s always been. A love that even the best of earthly relationships can’t begin to touch.

Favorite quote: “When you’ve found what you’re seeking, you don’t have to look anywhere else.” Watch the whole talk HERE!

5. CHRISTINE CAINE: This talk was all about digging. No, really. Christine challenged us with thought provoking questions like “What old wells do you need to dig up and redefine?” and “What new wells do you need to dig?” If we have the wells of the true source of living water stopped up with dirt and debris, we can’t get to our purpose.

Favorite quote: “We dig our wells because we want to get to the source Himself. We’re looking for what we can only get in other place which is why we are the most anxious generation there’s ever been.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

6. RAVI ZACHARIAS: This man of God, who has given the best years of his life to apologetics, begs the question, “What does it mean to be human?” The answer? It’s found in the person of Jesus. Through prayer, worship, and relationship with Jesus will produce in his our truest being.

Favorite quote: “What does it mean to be human? You go from creation to the incarnation to transformation to consummation. Is there any other worldview that gives you this kind of answer except in the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us full of grace and truth? His name is Jesus.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

7. LOUIE GIGLIO: This was the perfect the message for 1.1.2020. As we look to this new year and decade, his message was simple but so profound: It’s time to turn the page in your life. “Turning the page is what God does.” Louie proclaimed. How do we do this? We turn the pages of the Word of God. He summoned everyone to go from death to life, from defeat to victory in His name.

Favorite quote: “Somehow in the amazing mighty hands of God, he can bring beauty out of the ashes of your life. He can turn the page.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

8. SHELLEY GIGLIO: How do we live a life that matters and choose to believe God when challenges are all around us? Shelley pointed out that true faith requires obedience. She challenged us to build a house that is rooted in Him if we want to live out God’s purpose in our life and not our own.

Favorite quote: “When I stand here in this room with 65,000 of you, I know that God has built this house by faith.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

9. TIM TEBOW: With his background in athletics, Tim has played in many championships, won endless awards, and received abundant praise for his ability. Tim’s message flipped worldly success on its head. He wanted everyone to know that success is nothing if it isn’t for God’s glory. He pleaded with the room to give your life over to Jesus, to make His fame your goal, and to use your gifts for a much greater purpose.

Favorite quote: “Success is just about you, but significance is about other people.”

Watch the whole talk HERE!

10. PRAISE AND WORSHIP: Friends, just imagine…. Passion Music, Social Club Misfits, Hillsong United, Sean Curran, Elevation Worship, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes and more… all under the same roof. Wildly different styles of worship, but one goal: To glory and sing aloud to ONE God. The spirit filled the room as people from different backgrounds, and ethnicities came together to pour our heart out in remembrance of what He’s done and expectancy over what He’s going to do.

HERE is a link to the Passion Spotify playlist!

Our biggest takeaway? God loves to see his people from all over the world come together for a greater purpose and calling for His name and His renown.

God came. God saw. God conquered.