Words to the Wise, Prosperity, Deceit, and the Bread of Life

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 13:2 - 13:8

Read Bible Passages Online

Proverbs 13:2 - 13:6

I cherish the words of wisdom found in the book of Proverbs.  Each verse in this book speaks to me as I read it.  Today I'm going to give my thoughts on each of these six verses.

13:2  Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence. 

 I liken this verse to wise people who are eating the bread of life.  They are satisfied and fully fed spiritually. The treacherous and/or wicked have appetites that are never satisfied. The sinners just keep trying to satisfy their hunger with their own desires (sin) in vain, yet their souls can never be fully satisfied until they taste the bread of life.

13:3  Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.

 Do you ever watch a TV show or movie where a person catches a real break -- let's say a judge hands down a lightened sentence -- but then that character has to open his mouth and ruin everything?  Life is a lot like that, I think.  We allow our tongues to control us, instead of us controlling our tongues.  The bible is clear that the tongue is a dangerous weapon.  It is detrimental to our lives, to our souls, to our hearts.  If we do not have control of our own tongues, then we are not in control of our sinful flesh. 

13:4  Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.

I've met them.  They are the people who want to complain that life just isn't fair for them.  That they should have what so-and-so has.  That this other person doesn't deserve this or that.  Sometimes it might be true.  Bad things happen to all of us, we all fall on hard times.  But more often I see people who are always in a bind, and they always want to blame someone else for their problem.  I wish I could shake these people up -- tell them that life is yours to grab by the horns.  If you want something, work for it!  Achieve it!  Prosper!  The Lord is telling us this right here in this verse. 

13:5  The godly hate lies; the wicked cause shame and disgrace.

As people who are redeemed, we should hate lies.  Lies are of this world only; lies are of Satan only.  The Lord never lies to us.  The Lord does not deceive us.  The Lord does not trick us.  I used to pray fearfully, thinking that if I said the wrong thing I might create a "loop hole" or open up a means for something bad to happen.  And then I realized one day that I needn't be so fearful.  The Lord is not looking for a means in which to trick me, or deceive me. That is not the Lord's nature at all.  Instead, that is what Satan does to the Lord's followers.  The Lord is good, the Lord is awesome, the Lord is Holy and the Lord does not deceive.

13:6  Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.

Sin is like an entity that is alive.  It grows inside you, blackens your heart, takes over your soul.  It lies to you, it tells you to accept it, it blinds you to the truth. It helps you to reconcile the sin to yourself that you believe that you are justified in what you are doing.  You are not justified.  You are not an exception.  I am not an exception.  When we sin, we are blamed for our sin.  We are misled by our sin.  The Lord will judge us for our sin.  I would rather be godly and blameless before the Lord, though it is the hardest path of all to take -- and I am not even close to being there yet.  I will never be there, for I am human, but the important thing is repentance and forgiveness.  For the Lord will make us blameless, if we truly repent and change our ways.

Perseverance for the Godly (Words from Proverbs)

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 13:30 - 25

Read Bible Passages Online

Proverbs 13:12 - 25
Today's reading has a few different themes. Verse 13:20 starts off by telling us that those who walk with the wise will become wise, and those who associate with fools will get in trouble. Do you want more wisdom in your life? I know I do, especially after reading all the wonderful proverbs about how wisdom gives us life. The answer is simple - one of the ways you can gain wisdom is by associating yourself with those who are wise. Surround yourself with wise and godly people, and your perspective on life might change.

Verse 23 talks about injustice when it says that a poor person's farm may produce an abundance of food, but injustice sweeps it away. I see this as both literal and figurative. I see literal references -- especially when I hear cases of the government forcing metric tons of crops to be dumped and destroyed, in order to leave room for import items. It is sickening to see that forced waste.  Figuratively, the poor person is often persecuted unjustly. They can't afford to fight battle, and therefore some will use their power to walk all over them. All we can do is keep the Lord in our sight, and never give up faith or hope.

Verses 21, 22, and 25 specifically address sinners. We are told that troubles chase sinners, the sinner's wealth passes to the godly, and that the belly of the wicked go hungry. On the contrary, blessings reward the righteous, good people have wealth left over to pass to their grandchildren, and the godly eat to their heart's content. I know these verses might seem to be full of contradictions. After all, how many extravagantly rich sinners do we see? How often do we see the "bad" person persevere, while the "good" one struggles? There are more important things than what we see on this earth. We are in an endurance race to the end of our lives, the reward of which is eternal life with the balances restored. Don't let anyone - and certainly not the unbeliever - rob you of your end goal. All of this is not for naught. God is real, Heaven is real, and eternal life with our Lord and Savior is real. Those who struggle yet remain righteous will prosper for all of eternity. Our years on earth feel long yet fleeting at the same time; just remember they are but a drop in the bucket to all eternity.

A Dream Fulfilled is a Tree of Life

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 13:12-19

Read Bible Passages Online

Proverbs 13:12 - 19
Today's reading is a series of verses from one of my favorite books - Proverbs. I love Proverbs because it gives us clear directions on how to go through life. Not just go through life - but to soar through life, how to succeed in what you do, how to have happiness, and how to obtain wisdom.

There were a few reoccurring themes throughout today's reading. I found verses 12 and 19 to fit together:

13:12: Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

13:19 It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to attain them. 

 I do agree that never seeing one's hopes and dreams fulfilled can be quite crushing on one's spirit. I am caught on the words: "a dream fulfilled is a tree of life". This phrase makes me picture my life as a tree, soaring up into the sky. My dreams are branches, some developed and blossoming and full; others budding and taking shape; some withering and dying. Is your entire tree withered up? That would certainly make one's heart sick. My tree is pretty full and happy. But should something happen to my tree, crushing as it would be, my hope is in the Lord. I know that he can take a tree that has withered and passed away and revive it into the most glorious tree ever seen. Nurture your spirit with the words of the Lord. Turn away from the evil ways of this world. Let his essence feed your tree of life, and see your tree reach it's full, beautiful potential.

Verses 13 through 18 are about one of my favorite topics: Wisdom. Here is a summary from these verses.

To obtain wisdom:

• Respect commands for a successful life
• Listening to wise instruction is like a life-giving fountain that helps one avoid the snares of death
• People with good sense are respected
• The wise think before they act
• Accept correction and be honored

The unwise:

• Those who despise advice ask for trouble
• Treacherous people head to destruction
• Don't think before they act, and often brag about their foolishness 
• Ignoring criticism lands one in poverty and disgrace

Every time I read Proverbs, especially when Wisdom is being discussed, images of the world as I know it today floats through my mind. People, places, current events, pass situations. These images, these thoughts, they affirm everything I read. Just look at those lists. I'm sure you can easily place people you know into both of those extremes. I want my life to look like that first grouping. I want to have a successful life where I am respected and honored. Eventually I want to be the wise one who is helping to fill the fountains of others. I've got a long way to go, but I've got the best helper in the entire universe to help me - the Word of God. 

Poor or Rich, Light and Darkness, Pride and Wisdom - Readings of Proverbs

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 13:2 - 13:8

Read Bible Passages Online

Proverbs 13:7 - 13:10

I could use some words of wisdom from my favorite book of the bible today.  Lets see what words of life there are in store for me as I go through these four verses from Proverbs.

13:7 Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor.

Appearances aren't always what they seem. In the end, God knows our true hearts and motives. There is no pretending that will fool Him. We may fool people, but we will never fool the Lord.

13:8  The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won't even get threatened.

Which is better - to have the ransom to pay and be a target, or to be poor and left alone? I have been on both sides of the equation - dirt poor, without even a home to live in - and well off enough to have all my bills paid, food in the cupboards, have many of my wants, and take vacations. Money doesn't solve everything, but it does make life easier when you don't have to worry as much about your basic needs. But it's a mixed blessing, as it is all too easy to let money control you and, in return, pull you away from the Lord.

13:9  The life of the godly is full of light and joy, but the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.

It's very difficult to live in this world. The closer I grow to the Lord, and the more that I understand how God expects us to live and obey, the more I realize how far apart we are set from the rest of the world. It's intimidating, it's relentless, it's disheartening. But in the end, the Lord tells us that we will have victory, and then we will no longer be ridiculed as those "hate-filled bigots" (which couldn't be further from the truth), for people will know the truth.

13:10  Pride leads to conflict; those who take advice are wise.

It truly is a hard thing to learn how to take advice. I have no problem taking advice from God's Word, but when it comes to people it's far more of a struggle. This is especially true in today's information technology world, where we can answer our own questions in seconds. But learning to take advice is a growing process. I have to recognize the value of other people's wisdom - especially when it comes to age. I've learned a lot in my 33 years - so what of my grandparents, who have had over twice as long to gain life experience? It's invaluable. How many times have you heard someone say they wish they could go back to their younger selves with the wisdom they have gained throughout their lives? We should soak up all the wisdom we can get.

Discipline from the Lord

Today's Reading:

• Proverbs 12:26 - 13:1

Read Bible Passages Online

Proverbs 12:26 - 13:1

Proverbs is one of my favorite books in the bible because it truly tells how to live a godly life and how to become truly wise.  Today's reading is four verses from Proverbs, which I haven't read yet - so let's see what words of wisdom I have in store for me today!

12:26  The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

I do try to give good advice to my friends.  Good advice, in my opinion, is telling the person what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.  It is also telling them the truth, not some lie that will make them feel better at the moment but will make it hurt more down the road.  I have friends who give me good advice, and those friends are treasured in my heart. 

12:27  Lazy people don't even cook the game they catch, but the diligent make use of everything they find.

When I read this verse, I thought of the saying "waste not, want not."  This was odd to me because this translation (NLT) uses the word "diligent" to those who make use of everything they find, whereas the dictionary defines it as "Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties".  Regardless, we are being told to make the most of everything we have, and this is definitely something I need to work on!

12:28  The way of the godly leads to life; that path does not lead to death.

I have seen this over and over and over and over; yet the message rings true each time.  Being godly, being wise; that is the path to life.  It is the path I want to be on!

13:1  A wise child accepts a parent's discipline; a mocker refuses to listen to correction.

When I first read this verse, I didn't know what to think about it - how could a child really decide he or she wants to become wise.  In other words; how is this relevant?  Then it hit me - duh! - we are all children of God.  And for us to be wise children of God, we must accept discipline and correction from our Father with a happy heart.  I have children, and I know the reason I discipline them is because I love them.  I want them to be happy, I want them to be safe, I want them to be healthy, I want them to be well managed, functioning adults.  I want them to live a long, happy life.  When I think of discipline from the Lord in this manner, it reminds me that the Lord somehow manages to love me!