Proverbs May 1-7th Readings

 This week we will be looking at Proverbs 12, please join us daily as we look deeply into the Word and chase Wisdom through a Holy Obedience to the Ordinary,


PROVERBS 12: Wisdom contrasts righteousness and wickedness.

12 Whoever loves instruction and discipline loves knowledge,
But he who hates reproof and correction is stupid.
² 
A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.
³ 
A man will not be established by wickedness,
But the root of the [consistently] righteous will not be moved.
⁴ 
A virtuous and excellent wife [worthy of honor] is the crown of her husband,
But she who shames him [with her foolishness] is like rottenness in his bones.
⁵ 
The thoughts and purposes of the [consistently] righteous are just (honest, reliable),
But the counsels and schemes of the wicked are deceitful.
⁶ 
The [malevolent] words of the wicked lie in wait for [innocent] blood [to slander],
But the mouth of the upright will rescue and protect them.
⁷ 
The wicked are overthrown [by their evil] and are no more,
But the house of the [consistently] righteous will stand [securely].
⁸ 
A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,
But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.
^9 
[a]Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant,
Than he who [boastfully] honors himself [pretending to be what he is not] and lacks bread.
¹⁰ 
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal,
But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
¹¹ 
He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless things lacks common sense and good judgment.
¹² 
The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,
But the root of the righteous yields richer fruit.
¹³ 
An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
But the righteous will escape from trouble.
¹⁴ 
A man will be satisfied with good from the fruit of his words,
And the deeds of a man’s hands will return to him [as a harvest].
¹⁵ 
The way of the [arrogant] fool [who rejects God’s wisdom] is right in his own eyes,
But a wise and prudent man is he who listens to counsel.
¹⁶ 
The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense],
But a prudent man ignores an insult.
¹⁷ 
He who speaks truth [when he testifies] tells what is right,
But a false witness utters deceit [in court].
¹⁸ 
There is one who speaks rashly like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise brings healing.
¹⁹ 
Truthful lips will be established forever,
But a lying tongue is [credited] only for a moment.
²⁰ 
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
But counselors of peace have joy.
²¹ 
No harm befalls the righteous,
But the wicked are filled with trouble.
²² 
Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the Lord,
But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
²³ 
A shrewd man is reluctant to display his knowledge [until the proper time],
But the heart of [over-confident] fools proclaims foolishness.
²⁴ 
The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the negligent and lazy will be put to forced labor.
²⁵ 
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,
But a good (encouraging) word makes it glad.
²⁶ 
The righteous man is a guide to his neighbor,
But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
²⁷ 
The lazy man does not catch and roast his prey,
But the precious possession of a [wise] man is diligence [because he recognizes opportunities and seizes them].
²⁸ 
In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death [but immortality—eternal life].

Proverbs 11:22-23 Godly Use Discretion

THE GODLY USE DISCRETION (11:22–23): Discretion is more important than beauty.

“The godly can look forward to happiness, while the wicked can expect only wrath.”

²² A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s nose.

²³ What good people want brings more good. What evil people want brings more trouble.

            A gold ring in a pigs nose is quite the visual.  Solomon captures such an essence of the vulgarity of a beautiful woman with no sense.  This is truly a juxtaposition, as she can not claim “beauty” unless her character and integrity line up with God’s plumb line of righteousness.  So many pop stars now are this image of a pig with a ring in its nose.  Beautiful they stand before us, with vulgarity spilling from their lips, obscene gestures, scantily clad ---and their beauty slips into this type of…revulsion.  Beauty is a reflection of what lives in the garden of one’s heart.  

As our Wisdom and Prudence lead us, we are guided into the light of His ways. We house the eternal possibilities of our God within us.  We house His identity and His authority.  We get to look forward to happiness, or Joy.  Happiness is reliant on luck or circumstance – JOY is ours through our Lord.  

If you are not in relationship with my Jesus, I would love to talk to you about it.  He is the butter on my corn and the sugar in my coffee.  He takes the mundane things of life and He makes them,far sweeter because of His presence.  I would love for you to meet Him!!

Proverbs 11:12 - 21 The Godly Live Right

  THE GODLY LIVE RIGHT (11:12–21):

A person with good sense does not gossip; your soul is nourished when you are kind.

 ¹² Stupid people say bad things about their neighbors.^[a] Wise people know to be quiet.

¹³ People who tell secrets about others cannot be trusted. Those who can be trusted keep quiet.

Oh my word to not be this person.  To hold our tongue and speak life to others. When we have a check in Spirit to not spread stories. To not disguise gossip through the thin guise of prayer. To not listen to the words as they tumble out of another’s mouth.  To not ask to hear the gossip.  I have been tested in this area as of late. I always tell my kids that if I am not part of the problem, or the solution---I don’t have to know anything about it- certainly, not, dirty little details!!! We have a service of love to those that we walk with to use our mouths to honor and edify, to use our ears to hear life and encouragement. To protect our eyes and ears from slander and to keep our mouths in prayer, rather than  judgement, Lord this we pray!

¹⁴ A nation without wise leaders will fall. Many good advisors make a nation safe.

            Amen and amen.  I don’t know what is happening in our world and in our political system.  When mockery, slander, disrespect, fighting and crude vulgarity are acceptable as we search for a candidate to become the leader of the free world – I am shocked and aghast – embarrasses and amazed.  I am disgusted.   Prayer is what we need to save our country.  Abraham begged God, “If there are 5 righteous, Lord, you  wouldn’t destroy the city will you?  It is time for us, as a church to pray that God’s hand is not lifted for the US and that His grace and sovereignty continue on in the US. Over on the Ning site, we are working on a prayer vigil that will go through the elections –so that we can join other prayer warriors across the nation to pray for our country and its leader.   Remember that you can check out the Ning site, a free creative community at: http://www.praiseheart.ning.com, this vigil is being set up and will live in the “Praying in Color” group.

¹⁵ You will be sorry if you promise to pay a stranger’s debt. Refuse to make such promises and you will be safe.

¹⁶ A kind and gentle woman gains respect, but violent men gain only wealth.

            I love this violent men gain ONLY wealth- so here you see that some people are so poor, all they have is money.  God’s economy is not the worlds economy.  He has a whole different system that rests on His Son- Jesus Christ. As we enter into relationship with our Jesus – we change. We are made into new creatures. We are adopted into the family of God . We area prince and princesses.  Sometimes princesses get their water turned off because there isn’t enough money, but that princes inhabits the Spirit of God within her frame and is blessed beyond compare by what she houses- rather than the house that she resides in. 

¹⁷ People who are kind will be rewarded for their kindness, but cruel people will be rewarded with trouble.

¹⁸ The work of evil people is all lies, but those who do right will receive a good reward.^[b]

¹⁹ People who do what is right are on their way to life, but those who always want to do wrong are on their way to death.

²⁰ The Lord hates those who love to do evil, but he is pleased with those who try to do right.

²¹ The truth is, evil people will be punished, and good people will be set free.

            I have talked about this a lot this study –I always imagined that this meant that I would see the demise of evil people. Most times we don’t see the actual punishment- for all intents and purposes . But God. We can’t judge the heart of a man and what they are walking through.  We don’t know what kind of hell they are living through internally. We cant see the effect that sin has waged on their soul, on their happiness, on their joy and peace.  When we sin we separate from God. When we live a lifestyle of sin, we are choosing a lifestyle that is separated from God.  That would be punishment enough for me….think of it, no fruits of the Spirit, no gifts of the Spirit. No Hope, as Romans 15:13 tells us that God is the source of Hope-----yes, this is the ultimate punishment---à the absence of God.

The Prayers of the Righteous Proverbs 12:10-11

THE UPRIGHT UPHOLD THE CITY (11:10–11):The godly succeed and bless others.

¹⁰ When good people are successful, the whole city is happy, and they all shout with joy when evil people are destroyed.

Here we are looking at the prayer life of the Godly.  A fruitful prayer life blesses the individual, the family, the city, the state, the country, the land.  A healthy prayer life is a minute by minute existence of conversation with God. It is being in constant communion with the creator…interceding for others.  

Sometimes we get a discerning word about someone else. We know they are lying, or that they are operating out of hurt.  This discernment is not so that we can judge them, but so that we can pray for them- interceding on their behalf.  How great is our God, that he reveals tings so that we can join, heart to heart, with our brother and pray for them.

Prayer changes situations, people and nations.  By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted.  This is a major election.  Our cities have never needed our prayer as much as it is needed right now.   Will you join us in praying for our nation, through His promises that the land will be blessed?

¹¹ Blessings from the honest people living in a city will make it great, but the things evil people say can destroy it.

On the flip side of the prayers of the upright are the curses of the wicked. Our land has made many accommodations for tolerance.  You have to stand for something or you stand for nothing. It seems that we have begun standing for nothing as a nation.

Proverbs 11: Riches Wont Help

RICHES WON’T HELP (11:4–9): Only right living safeguards against death.

 ⁴ Money is worthless when you face God’s punishment, but living right will save you from death.

Amen- you cant take it with you.  In the long run, if the acquisition of wealth robs you of character, integrity, relationships and salvation ---you are paying much more for your worldly goods than you ever realized.  Remember that Jesus taught us to pray, “On earth as it is in Heaven”- that means heaven is right here, right now.  If worldly acquisition is your focus, I would offer that you already feel the absence of God- and that would be punishment enough as my feet walk on this earth, never mind eternity! 

People will ask about my relationship with God. There is nothing worth more to me than my continued time in His presence.  The gifts of the Spirit are priceless to me, His Joy present in all I do is what I strive for . For me to live is Christ, to die is gain.

Living right will save us from eternal suffering.  We are all going to live forever – the question is where. We GET to enjoy our God on this side of eternity in our every day moments. This is a richness beyond compare,

⁵ Doing right makes life better for those who are good, but the wicked are destroyed by their own wicked ways.

⁶ Doing right sets honest people free, but people who can’t be trusted are trapped by their greed.

⁷ When the wicked die, all their hopes are lost; everything they thought they could do comes to nothing.

⁸ Good people escape from trouble, but the wicked come along and are trapped by it.

⁹ With their words hypocrites can destroy their neighbors. But with what they know, good people can escape.

Here we see consequences:

·      The wicked are destroyed b their wicked ways – a house of cards that will surely topple.

·      They are trapped by their greed.

·      They are trapped by trouble

·      They can trap and be trapped by words.

We all need a Savior and life is sweeter with Wisdom by our side.

·      Life is better

·      We are set free through honesty

·      We escape from trouble- How do you think? How does Wisdom keep us safe?

·      We can escape the words of hypocrites.  How?  How can these words not penetrate into our sanctity of peace?

How can you take these ideas and live by them, not allowing trouble into your heart….or lies and words that don’t edify?  How can you make changes in your daily decisions?

GOD HATES DISHONESTY (11:1–3): “He delights in honesty.”

GOD HATES DISHONESTY (11:1–3): “He delights in honesty.”

 11 The Lord hates false scales, but he loves accurate weights.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers says “ (1) A false balance is abomination to the Lord.—A similar proverb is found in Proverbs 20:23, and praise of just weights, Proverbs 16:11; Proverbs 20:10. The repetition suggests that this form of cheating had become common in the time of Solomon, when the commerce of Israel began to develop. If so, there would be good reason for these frequent warnings, for it would have been useless to raise the superstructure of a religious life, as is the intention of this book, without first laying the foundation of common honesty between man and man.”

This false balance can also translate to our spiritual side, not just our everyday practices.  To be honest and to maintain the proper balances speaks to me in so many ways. 

·      Am I cheating God in my time?  Do I have an inaccurate weight on something that I shouldn’t be giving that much weight to?

·      Are my views of all people balanced through the eyes of grace?

·      Am I balanced in my relationship with God?

·      Am I balanced in my family relationships and things that take me away from my family?

·      Am I balanced in time spent on the computer and “real life”?

·      Are my tithes and expenses balanced?

·      Am I operating out of a place of balance, in general?

² Proud and boastful people will be shamed, but wisdom stays with those who are modest and humble.

Here we have a direct correlation between:

·      pride, insolence, presumptuousness, arrogance

·      shame, disgrace, dishonor

Wisdom stays with those that are:

·      humble, modest, lowly a modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

If we hold our time, attention and importance wrapped up within ourselves, we don’t have much room to listen, follow and worship God.  We have staked a claim amongst His highest places as while we worship ourselves.

³ Good people are guided by their honesty, but crooks who lie and cheat will ruin themselves.

Honesty is the absence of lies. Have you ever seen how lies erupt and become bigger and bigger- more and more complicated? Veggie Tales did a whole episode on it!! White lies, little lies, any lies rob us of our integrity and cause others to not trust anything we say.

·      Sometimes it is easier to tell a little lie- truth with grace is what we are called to

·      Sometimes it is kinder to tell a white lie – perhaps the Holy Spirit could provide the proper words for the situation?

·      Sometimes we want to get out of something and the “only” way is through a white lie…remember that lies are always found out and each lie shatters your character and integrity.

Proverbs 11

This week we will be looking at Proverbs 11.  Join us daily, Monday through Friday as we walk through the Scriptures together!

This weeks lessons will be drawn from Proverbs 11:

Proverbs 11:1-23
Wisdom avoids all kinds of wickedness.

Proverbs 11:1-23Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

11 The Lord hates false scales, but he loves accurate weights.

² Proud and boastful people will be shamed, but wisdom stays with those who are modest and humble.

³ Good people are guided by their honesty, but crooks who lie and cheat will ruin themselves.

⁴ Money is worthless when you face God’s punishment, but living right will save you from death.

⁵ Doing right makes life better for those who are good, but the wicked are destroyed by their own wicked ways.

⁶ Doing right sets honest people free, but people who can’t be trusted are trapped by their greed.

⁷ When the wicked die, all their hopes are lost; everything they thought they could do comes to nothing.

⁸ Good people escape from trouble, but the wicked come along and are trapped by it.

⁹ With their words hypocrites can destroy their neighbors. But with what they know, good people can escape.

¹⁰ When good people are successful, the whole city is happy, and they all shout with joy when evil people are destroyed.

¹¹ Blessings from the honest people living in a city will make it great, but the things evil people say can destroy it.

¹² Stupid people say bad things about their neighbors.^[a] Wise people know to be quiet.

¹³ People who tell secrets about others cannot be trusted. Those who can be trusted keep quiet.

¹⁴ A nation without wise leaders will fall. Many good advisors make a nation safe.

¹⁵ You will be sorry if you promise to pay a stranger’s debt. Refuse to make such promises and you will be safe.

¹⁶ A kind and gentle woman gains respect, but violent men gain only wealth.

¹⁷ People who are kind will be rewarded for their kindness, but cruel people will be rewarded with trouble.

¹⁸ The work of evil people is all lies, but those who do right will receive a good reward.^[b]

¹⁹ People who do what is right are on their way to life, but those who always want to do wrong are on their way to death.

²⁰ The Lord hates those who love to do evil, but he is pleased with those who try to do right.

²¹ The truth is, evil people will be punished, and good people will be set free.

²² A beautiful woman without good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s nose.

²³ What good people want brings more good. What evil people want brings more trouble.

Proverbs 10

The godly vs. the godless (10:11–12, 18, 24–25, 27–32): The words of the godly lead to life; evil people hide their intentions and cut their lives short.
¹¹ The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
    but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
⁸ The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
    and whoever utters slander is a fool.
³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
    but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
³² The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
    but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse
These proverbs all deal with the power of our words. We can encourage or we can kill.  We can slander or we can uplift.  We can be an affront to those within ear shot- or we can sing His praises. The tongue is the most powerful muscle in our body with its dual potential.
¹² Hatred stirs up strife,
    but love covers all offenses.
Can I get an “Amen”? Hatred stirs up strife, whether concealed or open, through lying lips or exposed publicly…hatred demolishes hearts. Love- to love through all offenses is a beautiful thing. We are not called to point fingers and stake ourselves, as Christians, against others. We are called to love. In Charlotte NC we are dealing with a bathroom ordinance that has exposed the hearts of Christians in an ugly way. Ridicule and judgement are coming off of the hearts and tongues of my brothers and sisters in Christ and I am hurt and saddened by the show that the Church is giving to an entire population.  LOVE> if we are the only Jesus that someone sees- are we portraying His heart well?

²⁴ What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
    but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
²⁵ When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
    but the righteous is established forever.
When the storm passes by, the wicked are no more – but the righteous stand firm forever.  I thank God for my faith and for His love that sings over me.  I don’t know how you get through the hardships of this life without this faith. I think storms do take out the non-believer in ways that we can’t imagine.  Imagine no hope in tomorrow and despair in today – because there is no Joy. 

²⁷ The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
    but the years of the wicked will be short.
²⁸ The hope of the righteous brings joy,
    but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
²⁹ The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
    but destruction to evildoers.
³⁰ The righteous will never be removed,
    but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
Wisdom promises prolonged life, joy and we are promised that we will never be removed as we chase Wisdom and search for the ways to walk out this holy odenience to the ordinary.

Proverbs 10

The rich vs. the poor (10:15–16, 22): Godly people use their money wisely; fools squander it. Day 4
¹⁵ A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
    the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
¹⁶ The wage of the righteous leads to life,
    the gain of the wicked to sin.
²² The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
    and he adds no sorrow with it.
Righteousness leads to life. I believe that my life has displayed more color since we have started this journey, I am open to more possibilities for the Lord to do what He does, while I watch in amazement.  His ways have led me to a richer life, sweeter relationships, a gentle approach and a softer footprint on those around me.  I would call this “living”.

Proverbs 10

The obedient vs. the disobedient (10:10, 17): The obedient accept correction; the disobedient “wink at wrong.”
¹⁰ Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
    and a babbling fool will come to ruin.

The meaning behind this can be taken from The Message: An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead, but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.  – Especially when the tongue is curbed and under the control of Prudence!!!!

¹⁷ Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
    but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
Correction, discipline and a teachable spirit continue to allow us to grow in our faith and in holy obedience to the ordinary. When we stop being moldable and open to criticisms- I think we begin listening to our own heartbeats, not the Lord’s. We begin thinking our words are elevated and wise, not the Lord’s. May we all have teachable hearts and the ability to allow the Spirit to search our hearts and bubble up that which is blocking us from receiving more of Him!!