Pro 23:17-18  Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the

LORD all the day long.  For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall

not be cut off.

Sometimes things just don’t seem fair. When you go through trials and you look

around at others that seem to have it so easy, it’s hard not to think that way. I

have thought that very thing. I have asked God why am I going through this, I try

to do all the things a “good” Christian is supposed to do, I go to church, I pray,

when my children were still living at home, I made sure they were in church, and I

read my Bible so why? And this was His answer: Psa 73:17-22 Until I went into

the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.  Surely thou didst set them in

slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.  How are they

brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with

terrors. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou

shalt despise their image. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my

reins.  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.  When I

looked at these situations through God’s eyes, it changed my attitude. I also

learned why not me? Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father

which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good,

and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.  And to really think about the end

of those that don’t know Christ. When we (I) put all of that into perspective, what

do we really have to complain about?

 

Pro 22:17-21  Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply

thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them

within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the

LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to

thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,  That I might make thee know

the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of

truth to them that send unto thee?

 

When we listen to God and gain wisdom and knowledge from Him it changes our

demeanor. It’s that pleasant thing and it’s what we reproduce (fitted in thy lips).

He’s done all of this so that we would know Him and trust Him (v.20) and so that

we can share these gifts with others (v.21).

 

 

Pro 21:20  There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but

a foolish man spendeth it up.

There are a lot of things that I treasure. My husband, our children and now my

grand daughters are one life’s greatest treasures that I have and I have wonderful

friends. And while these are all great this verse is talking about something greater

still.  2Co 4:6-7  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,

hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God

in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the

excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  That treasure is Christ in

us. This treasure can never be taken from us. Mat 6:19-21  Lay not up for

yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where

thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break

through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.  I’m

thankful for eternal treasures.

Pro 20:13  Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou

shalt be satisfied with bread.

I love the quietness of the house early in the morning. It affords me time to

spend with the Lord without interruptions. Pro_8:17  I love them that love me;

and those that seek me early shall find me.  It’s very easy to say I will spend time

with the Lord later, very hard to do sometimes. We never know what the day will

hold for us, even with the best of intentions. This verse tells us if we would get up

and open our eyes we will be satisfied with bread. Jesus is that bread and all we

have to do is get up. 1Ch 23:30  And to stand every morning to thank and praise

the LORD, and likewise at even;

Pro 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. We live in a society that wants everything ten minutes ago. But what this verse is telling us is that getting wisdom takes a little time (be wise in thy latter end). From every experience we will ever go through in life, good or bad, we should gain a little more wisdom from them. Psa 90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Wisdom is an everyday learning experience and our reward is peace through Christ. Psa 37:37 Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

Pro 18:10  The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into

it, and is safe.  It’s such a comfort to know that we have a place of refuge,

someone we can always depend on. This verse says that His Name is a strong

tower. As we grow older our strength diminishes, but God’s will never fade! Psa_135:13  Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations. His name will endureth forever and that means his strength will endure forever. Which also means that we will always have a place of refuge in the Lord. Thank God for His Name!

 

 

 

 

Pro 17:17  A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

At all times caught my eye as I read this verse. Friendships are funny in that a lot

of times there is no rhyme or reason to them. You just click with someone or you

don’t. However when you become a believer in Christ that changes. Your shared

love for Christ brings people together that have absolutely nothing in common,

but Him. And it’s great! You have friends that are there for you in every situation.

I’m reminded of the friendship of Naomi and Ruth and the special friendship that

they had. Rth 1:16  And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return

from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou

lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: These

two ladies had went through a lot in their time together, they had good times I’m

sure and then the bad times where they suffered the loss of both of their

husbands, famine, and I’m sure loneliness. Yet their friendship remained strong.

What a blessing it is to have that kind of friendship.

 

Pro 16:23 The heart of the

wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips. The encouraging thing

about these two verses is that these are qualities that can be learned, God

already knows that most of us aren’t born with the ability to control our mouth (

Jas_3:8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. ) so He is letting us know that there is hope if we allow Him to teach us.

Pro 15:28  The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the

wicked poureth out evil things.

 

I liked the way this verse says to studieth to answer. Think before you speak.

There have been times in life that I wished that I would have done that very thing.

There is such wisdom in this verse. Hurt and anger could be avoided if we applied

it to our lives. Ridicule could be avoided and opportunities to do a work for God

could be afforded if we would think before we speak.

Pro 14:16  A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.

If you are wise you will fear and depart from evil (sin). You won’t think that you

can handle it, you won’t try to reason within yourself that it’s ok. The only way to

deal with it is to depart from it. Pro 16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. The second part of Pro. 14:16 tells you what you are if you don’t. A FOOL!