Proverbs 31: A Godly Woman

I want you to take a moment and think about the woman described in this passage.

Women, does this in any way, shape, or form describe you? If it doesn’t, this should be a model to you. Stop emulating the people that might be cool, stylish, or attractive. Instead emulate this woman who is a hardworking woman, who made a great wife for this man. She is of extreme value to him and to the kingdom of God

Men, does this describe the girl you're looking for in the future when the time comes? If not, then you need to reevaluate what you are looking for. You might be looking for a girl that is stylish or pretty, but if she is not morally upright and hard working, is that the type of girl you want to spend your life with? Or are you looking to just have fun at the expense of a broken heart? Test yourselves men, and save yourself for a woman like the one described in this passage.

Proverbs 30: Gods Words are True Words

I lie sometimes. In fact I am a liar. As are all humans. Even the greatest human who has ever lived is a liar. The only person who has ever lived that is not a liar is Jesus. Why? Because Jesus was perfect because he was God. The rest of us are liars. That is kinda depressing isn’t it? You know that you are a liar, but we forget that everyone else is. Of course we should strive for honesty. Everyone might let you down, but God will never let you down. If He says it, He is going to do it. We say something, and we might not do it for many reasons. Maybe we wanted to do it but couldn’t. Is their anything God cannot do? Nope. Read verse 5 “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
WOW! We can depend on God. He means what he says, and he has the power to follow through. He is our shelter, he is our refugee.

Proverbs 29: Where Does Justice Come From

We all know people who have gotten away with wrong doing. It seems like the government is powerless to stop certain people from doing wrong things. This is a very sad state of affairs, but the truth is that the government cannot doing everything and cannot stop every crime. But there is One who sees, and One who knows and One who judges. Verse 26 says “Many seek the face of a ruler, but it is from the Lord that man gets justice” We can know that with God justice will be served. We also know that God is gracious and has forgiven all of those who call upon His name. Maybe we should extend the same grace to others?

Proverbs 28: Running Away When No One Is Chasing

I remember one year during spring break a group of friend and I went on a spring break trip. We went down to the Outerbanks (Duck if I remember correctly) and we spent a couple days their before we went north to Baltimore (went to a concert) and then headed further north to the suburbs of NYC. Well anyway we thought it would be cool if we got some fire works and set them off on the beach, which is not allowed in Duck. So we found a fireworks store that sold us a really large firework from a back room. It was supposed to fire off 20 times. So we bought it. We went out to the beach late at night and we fire it off. The very moment the first one went off, we all started running. It shot up in the air probably about three stories, and made the beach look like daylight as each of the 20 shots went off. We were not being chased, but we ran anyway. The first verse in this chapter says “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
When you are doing what is right, you do not need to hide it. When you are acting wickedly that is when you hide what you are doing. We were doing what was wrong, and ran from absolutely nothing. We could have been without fear if we had not been guilty of doing something wrong.

Proverbs 27: Listen to the Right People

There are certain people in your life that are going to help you going forward. They are going to help you to as you go forward in life. Their are other people who are in your life that are going to drag you down, and make it so that you can not progress forward in your Christian life. Verese 6 says “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Your friends are going to tell you painful truths at times. They know when you are straying from the path, and when you are doing wrong things. They will tell you this. And you may get offended. These are faithful wounds though, they are wounds that you need. Your enemies, those who will drag you down, will tell you that everything is okay, and that you are not doing anything wrong. You need to determine, now, who is who, so that you can listen to your true friends and grow because of it.

Proverbs 26: Are You Really Just Joking?

How many times do we say things that we really mean and then say that we were just kidding? How many times have we been hurt by something someone said even though they said they were just joking? Verses 18-19 says “Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!” If we trick other people in mean ways, and play vicious practical jokes on them but then claim we were just kidding, does that absolve us of our wrong doing? The answer is no. We should not be mean to each other even if we claim it is in jest. I am not saying that practical jokes are wrong, I am merely sayin that we need to be careful and make sure that we do not take it to far.

Proverbs 25: Seeking Your Own Glory

Have you ever eaten to much sweet things and gotten sick? I know I have. Even worse is when you eat to many sour candy’s and your mouth and tongue are raw and read and hurt for days. Yeah, I used to have a self control issue when it came to sour candy (yeah...used to...). It is true if we eat to much of something it can often times make us sick. Well Solomon uses this as an illustration for people who are seeking their own glory. Verse 27 says “It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory.” We get sick if we eat to much honey, we also get sick in a different way if we are seeking our own glory. We get spiritually sick. We were designed to seek glory for God, not glory for ourselves.

Proverbs 24: Do Not Celebrate an Enemies Defeat

We often forget how radical Christianity is. Jesus says in Luke 6:27-28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” This is different then what everyone else in the whole world tells us. Proverbs says something very similar in this chapter, verse 17 says “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles.” Do not rejoice when something bad happens to your enemy. You can be satisfied when justice is served, but at the same time it is not time to celebrate, instead you should pray for that individual. Jesus said for us to love our enemies. This may be one of the hardest things that is asked of us, and it is one of the things that makes following Jesus such a radical adventure.

Proverbs 23: Do Not Envy Sinners

Sometimes we look at other people who are living life for themselves and we envy them. We think that they get to do whatever they want. It appears as if they are having fun and doing whatever they want. Their fun is short lived though. We can envy sinners quite easily. We can envy the rich thief or the individual who seems like he is having a lot of fun doing bad things or we can find out satisfaction in our God. Verse 17 of this chapter says:
“Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all day.”
It is so easy to get into the mindset that what they have is better than what you have, but this simply is not true. God is good, and he not withholding something good from you, but merely showing you what is best. There are times when Vera may reach for an electrical outlet and I will tell her no. She may or may not listen, and if she does not listen I pick her up and move her. Often she cries when I do this. She thinks I am withholding something good from her. I am not. I am protecting her. It is the same way with the commands of God. God created us. He knows what is best.

Proverbs 22: Are You a Generous Person?

Are you a generous person? Do you help others with your money and time, or do you tend to do things for yourself most of the time ignoring others? It is important that we are generous and generosity comes in many different forms. You can help an elderly individual with her yard or give clothes, food, or money to those less fortunate that you. You can help a struggling classmate with homework or help them prepare for a test. Is your life marked by this? Or are you stingy, rarely helping others? Verse 9 says
“A generous person will be blessed,
for he gives some of his food to the poor.”
You should help out others and you will be blessed.

Saturday Video: Goodness Vs. The Cross Sermon Jam

Proverbs 21: It is Wise to Make Plans

It is important to make plans. Ultimately our plans may have to change because God is in control but planning for our future is still wise. It makes sense to plan for college by getting good grades in high school It makes sense to think through actions rather than rushing into them. Verse 5 of this chapter says:
“The plans of the diligent lead only to plenty,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”
We should not obsess with the future, but we should not ignore it either. If we plan for our future we are much more likely to succeed than if we rush into things and live only in the here and now. Consider what it is that you want to do for God in your future and then work toward it now.

Proverbs 20: Alcohol Can Be Dangerous

Many people drink alcohol in todays society, but it is not always a wise action. People drink to escape from life but it often makes their situation more difficult. I know that as a teenager it is a big temptation to party and drink to be cool, or because it looks like fun, but it is very dangerous. Listen to verse one of this chapter:
“Wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler;
whoever goes astray by them is not wise.”
Alcohol will promise one thing and give another. It often changes how you act and who you are, causing you to do things you never would of done had you been sober.

Proverbs 19: Do You Lie to Get Out of Trouble?

When I was younger I remember often finding myself caught in a sin, and I would often attempt to lie to get out of trouble. Very rarely would this work. It was often pretty obvious that I was to blame, and that the cat did not break that lamp, teapot, or other household decoration. It did work sometimes, but God knew.
Verse 5 says:
"A false witness will not go unpunished,
and the one who spouts out lies will not escape punishment.”
The key is confession and repentance not lies. Admit to your faults, and then repent of them. We see that God values honesty, and in reality so do people, let us strive for honesty then.

Proverbs 18: Patiently Listen

I have a problem listening sometimes. I find myself answers questions that have not been asked. In the TV Gameshow Jeopardy contestants can buzz in before the question has been completed when this happens they almost always get the question wrong because they were not answering the question that was being asked.
Verse 13 says:
“The one who gives an answer before he listens –
that is his folly and his shame.”
Listening to others is a big deal. It is something that we should not forget about. It is something that we should practice and work on.

Proverbs 17: God is Just

Proverbs 17:15 says “The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent –
both of them are an abomination to the Lord.”
God is just and he cares about justice. The person who condemns those who haven’t done anything wrong is an abomination (detestable) to the Lord. Furthermore those who let the guilty go free are just as bad. God is a just God who values Justice.
How then can we find grace with God? God is just and if God is just then we know that we deserve punishment. 2 Corinthians 5:21 gives the answer: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God punished Jesus in our place. He became sin for us, he took our place. God is a just God and some one had to be punished, but He made away through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, showing both Justice and grace.

Proverbs 16: Your Motives Matter

Some people like to think that as long as their actions are right they are okay. For instance if they tell on someone for doing something wrong they think that is good even if the main reason they did it was to see that person get punished because they do not like them. There are many times where we do good things so that we will feel good about our selves or look good in the eyes of others. The second verse of this chapter says:
“All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion,
but the Lord evaluates the motives.”
God evaluates our motives, and our motives matter to him. Are we doing right only to look good? Or do we do right when no one else will even know?

Proverbs 15: How Do You Use Your Tongue?

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me."
You may used these words in the past as someone was saying mean and hurtful things to you, and it simply is not a true statement.
The words that we speak can really hurt people. If we speak out of anger or frustration we can cause damage to people emotionally. We can all think back to a time where someone has said something that really hurt us, and as we think about it it hurts us all over again. We have forgiven them, and they apologized, said they did not mean, and tried to take it back, but once words have been spoken they can not be taken back or unsaid. But you can also remember a time when someone has said something encouraging, and it is something that propelled you to do better, or live better. Verse 4 says
“Speech that heals is like a life-giving tree,
but a perverse tongue breaks the spirit.”
This is what we should want from our speech. We should want to heal people with what we say.

Proverbs 14: Who You Hang out with Matters

Many people do not realize how much their friends influence them. It is important that your close friends are friends who are going to uplift you rather than tear you down. It is almost always easier to tear someone down than it is to lift someone up. If you are hanging out with people who party and drink and disobey their parents that will rub off on you and it will become more and more difficult for you to not succumb to temptation. Listen to what verse 7 says:
“Leave the presence of a foolish person,
or you will not understand wise counsel.”
If you're spending a lot of time with foolish people, people who are doing wrong and stupid things, then you will find yourself unable and unwilling to listen to advice that people give you. You will not understand it because you will see these other people temporarily “enjoying” their foolish activities. Get away from them.

Proverbs 13: Living Beyond Your Means

The Bible speaks to how we spend our money in the book of Proverbs. We can live beyond our means, spending our money to impress others, or we can live within our means, saving our money, and using our money to glorify God. Many people as they go off to college get credit cards, and they rather quickly build up debt on these cards. This makes life very difficult later on. Verse 7 says:
“There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth.”
You can pretend to be rich, and spend money in an unwise fashion. Or you can live as cheaply as you can, and then you may find that you accumulate more money. This makes even more sense when you realize what should be done with that money: You should use it to glorify God.

Proverbs 12: Sometimes It is Best Not To Speak

When I was younger I had a tendency to speak on a subject even when I knew nothing about it, just so that I could fit it or join in a conversation. Sometimes it worked, I guessed right, or the other people did not know anything about the subject either, so I was able to sound smart. Most of the time though, I found myself in a horrible situation where I had been caught making up things to sound smart. I of course got routinely made fun of for these incidents, all because I would open my mouth when I shouldn't have.

Surprisingly enough the Bible speaks to such things like this in verse 23: “The shrewd person conceals knowledge, but foolish people publicize folly.”

I was publicizing folly, and boy, was it obvious. If I had kept my mouth shut, no one would have known that I did not know anything about the topic at hand. That is what this verse says. How often is it better that we keep our mouths shut?

Proverbs 11: Honesty is the Best Policy

It can be a temptation to cheat, whether in school or at a job. Opportunity may arise where you would be able to get away with doing the wrong thing, stealing money, or taking your friend's answers on a test, and you need to be determined before hand how you will respond to such a situation.

In verse 18 of this chapter Solomon says: “The wicked person earns deceitful wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.”
Also, in verse 1 he says: “The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but an accurate weight is his delight.”

Being honest is very important and it is something that God values very highly. He hates (or detests) dishonest dealings, and he delights in honest dealings. This means that you should keep all of your dealings as honest as possible whether in work or in school.

Proverbs 10: Do You Enjoy Making Wicked Plans?

There can be a certain thrill to scheming, as you make up your plans to trick your parents and others as you engage in behavior that you should not. Some people find this enjoyable.

Verse 23 of this chapter says: “Carrying out a wicked scheme is enjoyable to a fool, and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment.”

So fools enjoy wicked plans and wise people enjoy discernment, but what is the end result of each option?

Verses 24-25 say: “What the wicked fears will come on him; what the righteous desire will be granted.
When the storm passes through, the wicked are swept away, but the righteous are an everlasting foundation.”

Whenever you are scheming, you may be worried that you will be found out. Sometimes you are, but God always knows about your scheming, and your fears will come true. The wicked will not be able to weather the storms whereas a righteous wise person’s foundation is secure.

Proverbs 9: How Do You Respond to Correction?

This is a very important question that we need to all answer.  How do you respond to correction?

I know in the past there have been times when I found it difficult to be corrected.  I was prideful, and I was wrong, and ultimately I needed to be corrected.

If you find that it is difficult for you to listen to correction then you are not wise.  This is not to say that every single time you are corrected the other person is right, but you should consider what the person is saying, and make the necessary changes if he is right.

Listen to what Solomon says in this chapter in verse 8: “Do not reprove a mocker or he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.”

If you try to correct a mocker, an unwise person who preys on others, they will not be happy with you and will actually hate you. If you reprove a wise person, he will appreciate it.

Are you a mocker or are you a wise person? How do you respond to correction?

Proverbs 8: Do You Value Wisdom?

Wisdom is the ability to know what is right and wrong, and to know how one should act in certain situations. Is this something you value? Is this something that really want?

Verse 11 of this chapter says:“For wisdom is better than rubies, and desirable things cannot be compared to her.”

Rubies are very precious stones which are worth a lot of money. A single ruby is worth thousands of dollars, and was of even greater value at that time. Solomon is telling us that we should value wisdom more than we value money or material possessions. Why? Well, if you think about it, you can have all the money in the world, but if you do not know how to use it wisely, what is the point?

Saturday Video: Matt Chandler on Prayer

Every Saturday I will post an inspirational video. Today's video is on prayer. I hope that all of you are praying as you read your Bible each day. If you are not let this video be an encouragement to talk to God in prayer.

Proverbs 7: You Will Find It If You Look

We often put ourselves in a position that will cause temptation and lead to sin. We allow ourselves to be put in situations with people of the opposite gender where we are going to be tempted to sin sexually. In some ways it is like we are looking for sin, or at least trying to see how close we can come to it without falling into sin.

This does not only apply to sex, but in other areas as well. For instance, some people want to go to parties where a lot of people are drinking, yet they say they do not want to drink. This is getting dangerously close to sin. This chapter is written so that we would avoid sexual sin. It is written so that we would avoid even being tempted by such sin and instead would flee it. It might appear to be fun at the time, and sin can be seductive, but we need to run away from it.

Verses 8-9 say, "and I have seen among the simple, I have perceived among the youths, a young man lacking sense, passing along the street near her corner, taking the road to her house."

The man is heading to the prostitute's house. He is seeing how close he can get to sin, and in the end he falls into it. Let us not be like him, but instead flee from sin.

Proverbs 6: Take Right and Wrong Seriously

Proverbs 6:20-21 says, “My child, guard the commands of your father and do not forsake the instruction of your mother. Bind them on your heart continually; fasten them around your neck.”

You have been taught right from wrong, many of you by your parents. You should listen to the wise instruction you have been given and take it very seriously. “Bind them on your heart continually” means that you should always remember them and make sure that you do them. “Fasten then around your neck” has the idea of making sure that you take them so seriously that it is like you have them with you all the time.

Proverbs 5: Sex, Gods Way

Sex is good, as long as it is done God's way. Notice in verse 18 it says, “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in your young wife.” You should rejoice in your spouse and celebrate your spouse when you get married. That is sex God's way, but there are other ways that are not God’s way and are wrong and lead to destruction.

Notice the beginning of this chapter where it says, “For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her seductive words are smoother than olive oil, but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword” (verses 3-4). The wrong way is to have sex with anyone to whom you are not married. If you continue on reading you will see that verse 8 tells you to stay away, and not even to get close to this type of sin. The best way to do this is to not put yourself in a situation where you might start to think sexual thoughts, and in this way you can avoid the temptation.

Proverbs 4: Walking in Darkness

We all know what is like to get up in the dark and have to go to the bathroom, only to stub your toe five times on the way. We know that walking in the dark can be dangerous, and this is the illustration that Solomon uses to describe living life like the wicked do: “The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; they do not know what causes them to stumble” (vs. 19).

When walking in the dark, you do not even know what it is you just kicked. (Was it the cat or a stuffed animal?) Living a sinful life and following sinful men is dangerous and will cause damage. In contrast, walking righteously is described like this: “But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light, growing brighter and brighter until full day” (vs. 18).

Proverbs 3: Are You Wise in Your Own Eyes?

Some people think that they are wise. They think they are just doing fine without any input from anyone else, whether that other person be God or an older human being. They scoff at someone trying to help, and instead think they can live life on their own, in their own way, and they are wise in their own eyes.

Proverbs 3:7 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.” The essential point of this verse is that wisdom comes from God, not from us. If we fear (respect) God and turn from evil, then we will have wisdom. Notice though, that we have to listen to what God says.  We are not wise, but He is.

Proverbs 2: Where is Your Wisdom Coming From

What is influencing your opinion on things? Where are you getting your ideas about what is valuable? Where are you turning when you need to know what is right or wrong?

Some people turn to the media. They look at the values that rich and famous people have, and they assume that that is the correct way to live, and then they try to live that way. 

Proverbs 2:6 says, “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.”

Wisdom comes from God. If we look anywhere else other than to God to figure out how we should live or what we should do, then we are looking in the wrong place.

Seriously consider where your wisdom is coming from. If it is coming from anywhere other than God it is not coming from the right place, and you will not be living wisely.

Proverbs 1: Is this for You?

Proverbs 1

Is this for you?

Is the book of proverbs a book for you? This question is answered in verse 4.

The author of Proverbs (a king named Solomon) says, “to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—” (ESV)

Now I’m not saying you are "simple," but you are a youth. Discretion and knowledge are important things. They help us know right from wrong and good from bad.

This book was written so that you, a youth, might know how to live your life.

So how do we gain wisdom or discretion? King Solomon also answers that question:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (ESV)

So, fear (or reverent respect) is the beginning of this knowledge of good and evil. Our options are simple: we can know God, and respect Him and begin a journey towards wisdom, or we can despise wisdom and instruction and be labeled a fool.

So I hope you join us as we go through the book of Proverbs, and gain wisdom that can only come from God and His Word. Every day in January we will read a chapter of Proverbs, and their will be a short devotional thought on this blog.

I hope you will join us on this journey into wisdom!

(note: This is the same post from January 1st last year.  The others will be new, but I could not find a better way to start the Good Book Before Facebook Challenge than this!)