Froward. Not a term that we hear much these days.
Let's look at the definitions and synonyms of that word from Dictionary.com:
-adjective
willfully contrary; not easily managed: to be worried about one's froward, intractable child.
[Origin: 1150–1200; ME froward, fraward. See fro, -ward]
—Related forms
fro·ward·ly, adverb
fro·ward·ness, noun
—Synonyms obstinate, willful, disobedient, fractious, wayward, unmanageable, difficult.
—Antonyms docile, tractable.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
adj. Stubbornly contrary and disobedient; obstinate.
fro'ward·ly adv., fro'ward·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
froward
O.E. from weard "turned from or away," from from + -weard. Opposite of toward, it renders L. pervertus in early translations of the Psalms, and also meant "about to depart, departing," and "doomed to die."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
froward
adjective
habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition
WordNet® 2.1, © 2005 Princeton University
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Wow! That's certainly a "loaded" word, full of negative meanings!!
Other Bible translations for Proverbs 11:30 say this:
NKJV - Pro 11:20 - Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD,
But the blameless in their ways are His delight.New King James Version © 1982 Thomas Nelson
NLT - Pro 11:20 - The Lord hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity. New Living Translation © 1996 Tyndale Charitable Trust
NIV - Pro 11:20 - The Lord detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
New International Version © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society
NASB - Pro 11:20 - The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, But the blameless in {their} walk are His delight.
New American Standard Bible © 1995 Lockman Foundation
RSV - Pro 11:20 - Men of perverse mind are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight.
Revised Standard Version © 1947, 1952.
The Bible is filled with verses regarding the heart, and the character of the unrepentant.
That's the bad news which we all must face about our spiritual state of being since the Fall.
The Bible is an honest book. It records the deeds, errors, sins, and evil done by men because of the "froward heart."
Just click on the link above and read the list of descriptions regarding the froward heart! The verses listed there clearly tell us what the unregenerate heart is severely capable of...and it's not pretty!
Here is the list (go to site for verses under each description)
1. Hateful to God
2. Full of evil
3. Full of evil imaginations
4. Full of vain thoughts
5. Fully set to do evil
6. Desperately wicked
7. Far from God
8. Not perfect with God
9. Not prepared to seek God
10. A treasury of evil
11. Darkened
12. Prone to error
13. Prone to depart from God
14. Impenitent
15. Unbelieving
16. Blind
17. Uncircumcised
18. Of little worth
19. Deceitful
20. Deceived
21. Divided
22. Double
23. Hard
24. Haughty
25. Influenced by the devil
26. Carnal
27. Covetous
28. Despiteful
29. Ensnaring
30. Foolish
31. Froward
32. Fretful against the Lord
33. Idolatrous
34. Mad
35. Mischievous
36. Proud
37. Rebellious
38. Perverse
39. Stiff
40. Stony
41. Stout
42. Elated by sensual indulgence
43. Elated by prosperity
44. Studies destruction
45. Often judicially stupefied
46. Often judicially hardened
Long list!! Discouraging, depressing and disheartening, too...isn't it?
But Jesus tells us to take heart...
John 16:33 - “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (NIV)
I wanted to throw out a challenge to my readers. Pick one of those words, apply it to the heart (e.g. "Mischievous Heart") and give a modern day example of someone or something that has demonstrated that type of a heart in the comment section.
Then, if possible, also share the story of a person who has overcome a "Mischievous Heart" and tell us what helped make that transformation for that particular person.
The examples chosen can be YOU, or someone you know, or someone you heard about on the news, etc. If you find an article or website link about such people, then feel free to provide a link to the story.
Anyone out there up to the challenge?
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There is hope in the Lord! No matter where you have come from...no one is beyond the reach of our loving God!
This Devotional shares why:
The New Covenant of Grace: A Holy Spirit Covenant
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
As noted earlier, the new covenant is about grace, as contrasted with the old covenant, which is about law. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). The connection between grace and the Holy Spirit can be seen in various scripture passages on the new covenant, including this glorious prophecy. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." The first verse in this prophetic promise concerns regeneration, spiritual new birth. Through faith in the Lord, our original, hard, lifeless heart is removed, and a new, pliable, living spirit is given to us.
The second verse pertains to transformation, the ongoing development of this new life. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes." The developing of a life that increasingly complies with the will of God depends upon the work of the Holy Spirit within us. We know that unredeemed humanity has no hope of living a life that is pleasing to God. Yet, many Christians could be unaware that even the new creature in Christ cannot please God on his own resources. The Spirit of God must be the heavenly cause that produces a heavenly lifestyle in believers.
What is promised here is not an automatic experience. The life of many Christians does not consistently match what is described here in Ezekiel 36:27. The reason is that they are not relating properly to the Lord in humble dependence. Yes, these two relational realities (humility and faith) also determine whether or not the Spirit of God is our resource, just as they were determinative concerning grace.
Two statements by Jesus expound upon this fact. "You have no life in you...It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing" (John 6:53,63). We do not innately possess life as God intends it to be lived. Natural human resources are of no benefit in developing a godly life. Such revelation is very humbling. If we embrace Jesus' evaluation of our personal inadequacy, then we are willing to relate to God in humility. Further, there is truth in which we are to place our trust. "It is the Spirit who gives life." As we count on this truth, we are relating to the Lord in faith. The result of such humble reliance is God's Spirit becomes our vitality for living godly.
O Lord, the source of true life, thank You for establishing such a gracious arrangement as the new covenant. I praise You that Your Holy Spirit is my heavenly dynamic for godliness. I confess that my fleshly attempts to please You are so inadequate. I humbly ask You to cause me to walk in Your good will, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Hoekstra, Bob. "The New Covenant of Grace: A Holy Spirit Covenant," Day By Day By Grace. Blue Letter Bible. 25 Oct 2006. 21 Feb 2007.
Posts
2 comments:
I'll start.
1. Hateful to God
I would have to say that the first thing that popped into my mind was an organization...not just an individual.
What organization am I referring to?
The ACLU.
There are perhaps hundreds of reasons that I could share why I believe that the organization is hateful towards God (especially, and in most cases exclusively, our Christian God.)
You can go to the "Stop the ACLU" links on my front page and read all about how that organization is entrenched with not just limiting religious free speech, but intent on eliminating it altogether.
What is the redeeming opposite of the ACLU?
There are many, wonderful organizations that I could name, including Stop the ACLU and Stop the ACLU Coalition
But the one that stands out the most to me, is the Alliance Defense Fund. They are a Christian lawyers organization that has often come to the rescue and has soundly defeated the ACLU on many occasions!
The ADF fights for Christians against the ACLU's constant attempts to trample Christian free speech, destroy the displays of Christian symbols, their S-P attempts to eliminate our rights to freedom of association issues, and their outright efforts to bully Christians with their usual "Marketing of Evil" attempts to trump the Constitutional rights of freedom of religion issues.
The ADF are heroes in my eyes, and champions for the Lord in our culture today.
2. Full of evil
There are so many that we could list for this one! Look at all the outside evil, bent on destroying our country and way of life:
1. al Queda
2. Taliban
3. bin Laden
4. al Zawahiri
5. Kim Jong Il
6. Hamas
7. all of Radical Islam
8. Ahmadinajad & the Imams there
But if I were to list the one organization which is bent on destroying our country from within, it would be the ACLU (again!)
Yes! The ACLU takes the cake on this one, too.
Want some examples?
Here's just a small part of the ACLU's RECORD OF SHAME!:
On the Right to Life Issues
The ACLU supports:
The absolute "right" to an abortion, including partial-birth abortion; manufacture and distribution of the abortion pill RU-486 (ironically, asks the question "Are you for "86"..."86" a code term for death!!); welfare and other taxpayer funding for abortions.
The ACLU opposes:
The Born Alive Infants Protection and Unborn Victims of Violence Acts; requiring parental consent before a minor recieves contraceptives or an abortion, any government "interference" in the "right" to an abortion, including waiting periods, mandatory counseling, or informing women of the link between abortion and breast cancer and the suffering of women who have post-abortion grief syndrome.
On religious freedom issues:
The ACLU supports:
The unhistorical and unconstitutional misrepresentation of a "wall of separation between church and state." (Guess what? That phrase isn't in the Constitution or any other of our country's founding documents!!)
The ACLU opposes:
Posting the Ten Commandments in schools and courthouses (except they can't tear down the Supreme Court building that has them on the front!!!); prayer in schools, including at graduation ceremonies or before athletic events; manger scenes, Jewish menorahs, or signs reading "God Bless America" in public places; Ohio state motto "With God, All Things are Possible;" the Mt. Soledad war memorial cross; use of public facilities by religious groups, even outside of school hours; eliminating "under God" from the pledge and "In God we Trust" from money. (The list could be endless!)
Pornography
The ACLU supports:
The ssale of DISGUTING pornographic magazines in taxpayer-subsidized military exchanges; the "right" to operate nude-dancing clubs; the "right" to possess photos of hude children in sexually explicit poses; the right of A DESPICABLE ORGANIZATION LIKE NAMBLA TO TEACH HOW TO RAPE AND SODOMIZE YOUNG BOYS...this list could be endless, too.
...to be continued...
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