A little change up to all you reading....

I am still going through Proverbs...but I thought I would start making it one post per week with a bunch of thoughts, rather than one a day...(sorry everyone, cause I KNOW that you have just been enjoying those SOOOO much :) ) It was getting to be that I wasn't doing a good job of posting other stuff. So, I posted a picture, a video, a thought with more to come tomorrow after I get back from my Iron Sharpens Iron conference. In fact, I will try to post a couple of thoughts during the day there...
So, until tomorrow....

Proverbs 8

The only thing that caught my attention today as I read through Proberbs 8 was that it was yet another place that talked about God's design of the universe. Verses 22 through 36 are all about wisdom being there at the beginning of creation as God put things into motion. I guess I just find it interesting in light of the continued debate on creationism versus evolution.

Proverbs 6:6-8

6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.

Integrity really is a character trait that you find throughout the Bible. This passage struck me with that as I remember a definition of Integrity being referenced as the person you are when no one is looking. Here the ant has no overseer or ruler but does the wise and prudent thing. I strive to be the same person all the time, with people looking or not.

Proverbs 5:18

May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.

It has been
and I do.

Love you honey.

Proverbs 4:24

This verse actually is representative of a conversation we had in Bible Study today.
24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
One of the things that almost everyone could relate with after their acceptance of Jesus was that they felt compelled to make changes in the way that they spoke. No longer did it seem right to swear or did they even want to participate in conversations with those that chose that pattern of speech.
We truly are "made new" and things are different and this is one of those visible signs that give indication of the state of our soul.

Proverbs 3:24

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

I like this verse. It is a quick reminder to me that if I follow the proverb before (21) that says to preserve sound judgement and discernment, I can be at rest in my circumstances. Not that my circumstances may always be good, but at least I will know that I have not created those circumstances through bad judgement or poor choices.

Proverbs 2:14

So, I was reading this passage this morning...just thinking on it until now. It is hard to explain to people who have not accepted Jesus of the transformation that truly does occur as you are continually refined by the presence of the Holy Spirit. This passage reads:
14 "who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,"
It is speaking of "wicked men" from verse 12 and the thing that captures me is that these wicked men are happy. They are doing things that are not wise, that go against God's will, but they are happy doing it. It is giving them, at a minimum, temporary pleasure and "delight".
Christians will not "delight" in the same things that non-Christians will.
So watch your friends and fellow Christians and see what they "delight" in. It may very well tell you the state of their soul.

Proverbs 30:5-6

5 "Every word of God is flawless;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
6 Do not add to his words,
or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

This is one of those reminder passages of how much bigger God is than us. How little we truly know. We can know plenty by spending our time in the Bible. In fact, we can never fully grasp everything that is in the Bible. But, to all of us that are parents teaching our kids, those of us teaching Sunday School or Bible studies or those of us giving biblically sound advice to our friends, we have to make sure we are not adding anything to the truths God has given us. God's word is enough.

Proverbs 29:20

"Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Why does this one jump out at me...well, I know that I have a problem of speaking too quickly at times. The bible references many instances where our words can do damage:

Psalm 57:4
I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts— men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Psalm 64:3
They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows.
Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

If the bible is calling out this much of a warning about what our words can do to others, why do I constantly struggle to not speak to quickly? I will continue to work at not using my words to put others down or to create laughter at their expense...to show God's character in that aspect of my personality so that ultimately He will be glorified.

Proverbs 28:19

I had heard an interesting study that was suggested by one of the blogs I read…it said to read one chapter in Proverbs everyday so that you go through the whole book every month and do that for a year….you will have read through the book of Proverbs 12 times and you will get to know it pretty well. Since Solomon was the one of the wisest people to ever live and he is the author of most of the book, it would stand to reason that any person would benefit from knowing the wisdom that is held in this book. To that end, I have been trying, though not as consistently as I have wanted to read the chapter a day in this book. I think I will try to also write a couple of thoughts that come up each day with the verses I read….At least for one pass through the book. As today is the 28^th, I read chapter 28. Verse 19 really struck me. It says: “He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.” Immediately my mind went to all the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” books I have owned…the “One Minute Millionaire” and other titles like it that I have spent many hours reading through. While there are pieces in these books that are good information, my heart was in the wrong place in most cases. I wanted to make millions, retire early, etc. What a fallacy. Work is not a burden. We have purpose through the work God gives us. In fact, we will be working once we get to Heaven, so our minds better get wrapped around the fact that work is a good thing. Don’t chase the fantasies, find God’s call for your life and fulfill it. Then work will not be “work” in the classic American sense. It will be one of the rewards that God promised.