There is great value in identifying the truth that God speaks into your heart. Mark them in your Bible and read them every week until they become a part of who you are.
There is a difference between knowing truth and doing truth.
Prov.16
PLANS: 16:1-3 "...The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established..."
PURPOSE: 16:4 "...The Lord has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil..." Really?
PATH: 16:7 "...When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him..."
PATH: 16:9 "...The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps..."
PRIDE: 16:18 "...Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling..."
WORD: 16:20 "...He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord..."
WORDS: 16:24 "...Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones..."
PATH: 16:25 "...There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death..."
CONTROL: 16:31 "...The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the Lord..."
Prov.17
TONGUE: 17:9 "...He who conceals a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends..."
FRIEND: 17:17 "...A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity..."
JOY: 17:22 "...A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones..."
Prov.18
FOOL/WORDS: 18:2 "...A fool does not delight in understanding, But only in revealing his own mind..."
PRIDE: 18:12 "...Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, But humility goes before honor..."
WORDS: 18:21 "...Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit..."
Prov.19
HASTE: 19:2 "...Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge, And he who hurries his footsteps errs..."
DISCRETION: 19:11 "...A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression..." How do we typically deal with the transgressions of others?
PLANS: 19:21 "...Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the Lord will stand..."
PATH: 19:27 "...Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge..."
Prov.20
DRINK: 20:1 "...Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise..."
SLOTH: 20:13 "...Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food..."
TONGUE: 20:19 "...He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip..." What does following this advice look like?
WAIT: 20:22 "...Do not say, "I will repay evil"; Wait for the Lord, and He will save you..."
Prov.21
PATH: 21:2 "...Every man's way is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts..."
POOR: 21:13 "...He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered..." What is shutting the ear?
PLEASURE/DRINK 21:17 "...He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich..."
TONGUE: 21:23 "...He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles..."
SLOTH: 21:25 "...The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, For his hands refuse to work;..."
Prov.22
CHILD REARING: 22:6 "...Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it..."
MONEY: 22:7 "...The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower becomes the lender's slave..."
SLOTH: 22:13 "...The sluggard says, "There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!"..."
CHILD REARING: 22:15 "...Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him..." How does this differ from our current culture's approach? [Denying absolutes and the sin principle leads to ineffective approach]
Prov.23
MONEY: 23:4 "...Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it..."
CHILD REARING: 23:13 "...Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die..."
Prov.24
SLOTH 24:10 "...If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited..."
SLOTH 24:30 "...I passed by the field of the sluggard And by the vineyard of the man lacking sense,..."
SLOTH 24:33,34 "...A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest," Then your poverty will come as a robber And your want like an armed man..."
Prov.25
WISDOM: 25:2 "...It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter..." Explain!
CONTENTION: 25:24 "...It is better to live in a corner of the roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman..."
DISCIPLINE: 25:28 "...Like a city that is broken into and without walls Is a man who has no control over his spirit..."
Prov.26
SLUGGARD: 26:13-16 "...The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A lion is in the open square!" As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can give a discreet answer..."
PATH/TONGUE 26:17 "...Like one who takes a dog by the ears Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him..." Be careful what you join.
Prov.27
MOTIVES 27:6 "...Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy..."
CONTENTION: 27:15 "...A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;..."
Prov.28
WISDOM: 28:5 "...Evil men do not understand justice, But those who seek the Lord understand all things..."
PATH: 28:9 "...He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination..."
REPENTANCE: 28:13 "...He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion..."
Prov.29
DISCIPLINE: 29:1 "...A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy..." Ouch!
POOR: 29:7 "...The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor, The wicked does not understand such concern..."
CHILD REARING: 29:15 "...The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother..."
CHILD REARING: 29:17 "...Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul..."
PURPOSE/PATH/DISCIPLINE: 29:18 "...Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained, But happy is he who keeps the law..."
29:26 "...Many seek the ruler's favor, But justice for man comes from the Lord..." What do you think of Political Action Committees?
Prov.30 Words of Agur
30:6 Don't add to God's words.
30:8 Avoid deception and lies.
30:8-9 Danger of both poverty and riches (steal,self-sufficiency)
30:15-17 Never satisfied.
30:18-20 Too difficult to understand.
30:21-23 Earth quaking.
30:24-28 Small but wise.
30:29-31 Stately.
Prov.31 Words of Lemuel
31:3 "...Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings..."
31:10-31 Description of a worthy woman.
31:30 "...Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised..."
So women, like men, have the option of fulfilling their God given potential, or wreaking havoc on the earth.
ECCLESIASTES
Proverbs gives advice for finding a rich and fulfilling life.
Ecclesiastes describes the futility of life not centered on God.
Eccl.1
Vanity. What do you get for all your struggles and labor?
1:8 "...All things are wearisome; Man is not able to tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing..."
1:9 "...That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun..."
Solomon's lament about "nothing new under the sun" may describe the situation of fallen man, but it certainly isn't an accurate description of our creative, living God.
Num.16:30 "...But if the Lord brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the Lord..."
Ezek.11:19 "...And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,.."
John 13:34 "...A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another..."
2 Cor.5:17 "...Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come..."
Rev.21:5 "...And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said*, "Write, for these words are faithful and true..."
1:13 "...And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom concerning all that has been done under heaven. It is a grievous task which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with..." Is life grievous? Is this God's intention?
1:18 "...Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain..." Cattle on a hillside have no grief. Contemplating that fact initiated my Christian walk, and I currently pass cattle on my way to work every day.
Eccl.2
APPETITE! Most just assume that gratifying it will bring satisfaction. Solomon had the means to indulge his appetite, and found out otherwise.
2:1-11 Pleasure and possessions.
2:3 "...I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives..." Are people still trying this?
2:10 "...All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor..."
2:12-17 Wisdom (fate same as fools).
2:14 "...The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both..."
2:18-26 Labor
2:22 "...For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?..."
2:23 "...Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity..."
Eccl.3
3:1-8 Appointed time for everything. When we're mourning, someone else in dancing, and vice versa.
3:11 "...He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end..."
3:12 "...I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; ..."
3:14 "...I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him..."
3:20,21 "...All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?.." Does anyone know what happens in the end?
Eccl.4
4:1 "...Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them..."
Is there any comfort for oppressed or oppressors?
2 Cor. 1:3-4 "...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 will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God..."
2 Thess.2:16-17 "...Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word..."
4:4-8 Neither sluggard or workaholic have found it.
No comments:
Post a Comment