CORRECTION

Proverbs 3:11-12

Thoughts for the Day

If we want to become wise, we must receive God's corrections (or as the above scripture says, "the Lord's chastening") in our lives. In fact, we should pray for correction, so that we might remain on the right path, because if we go astray we can be destroyed. Notice verse 12 says that God corrects His children as an earthly father would correct his children. We know that any good father does not injure his children when correcting them. When he spanks or punishes his children, it is for the purpose of teaching or correcting them, so that they learn proper behavior to avoid trouble and pain.

The main thing we need to understand about God is that He does not send evil things to punish us. How does God teach us? God teaches us by giving us the Holy Spirit as our teacher, and His book, the Bible, as our study guide. Just as children go to school to learn, they must study to pass their tests. If all a child does, is just listen to his teachers (allowing it to go in one ear and out the other); and refuses to study, he will fail his tests and could even fail to pass on to the next level of learning. He must apply what he hears to be successful. In like manner, if we listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit; and we study the Bible and apply it to our lives, we will be able to pass the tests (trials) of this life. However, if we are rebellious or ignorant of the teachings of the Bible, we will suffer many things that God never intended for us to suffer.

When we are faced with a trial, test or trouble, we must never blame God for it; but rather turn to Him and praise Him for being there to help us through the problem. Praise God, that we can call on Him to show us the way to overcome our trouble and grow in God in the process. Now we should not praise Him for the trouble, as He did not send it; however, we should praise Him for loving us and being there to help us in the midst of our problems. Remember He loves us and delights Himself in us!

OBEDIENCE

Proverbs 3:5-10

Thoughts for the Day

5-8 These particular verses give us a promise of health if we do certain things. We are admonished here, to trust God with all of our hearts and not to lean to our own understanding. The Lord is not saying we are not to use our minds, but rather when we do not understand what is happening in our lives, we are to trust God to show us what to do. Many times when we are going through a trial or facing a serious problem, we are tempted to blame God for our circumstances. In times such as this, we must not yield to Satan's accusations against our God, but rather, trust the Lord for the way out. If we acknowledge Him as our Lord, He promises to direct our paths and show us the way to overcome. Evil attacks against us or our family do not come from God, but originate from Satan to try and discourage us and ultimately destroy us.

9-10 In these verses we find another wonderful promise of God. This one has to do with material blessings. We are told here that if we honor God with our material belongings and put Him first, we will be blessed with plenty. When we study the Bible we find the Word of God addresses the people of that day and their culture. Since many were farmers or herders, many of the parables or admonitions would be shared in a way that they could identify with their surroundings or occupations. In these verses, the firstfruits represented their first harvest of crops; or the first lambs of their herds; or the first fruits from their orchards. Many had grape orchards and when their fruits were gathered they brought them to the grape presses which extracted the juice for wine. Since they did not have refrigeration, their grape juice did not take long to become wine.

If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will always have the desire to give because it is the nature of God to give. Greed and stinginess are from Satan. If we are truly committed to God, giving will not be a burden, but rather a joy. God is calling us to be committed to the point where if He told us to leave all and follow Him, we would not hesitate. We find a rich man in the Bible that could not make this commitment, and he ultimately missed God's blessings for his life (Luke 18:18-25). Let us be faithful in the area of giving and we shall never lack in the things we really need as that is God's promise to us. Our barns will be filled with plenty.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Proverbs 3:1-4

Thoughts for the Day


The book of Proverbs has so many "cause and effect" statements throughout its pages. That is why it is a book of wisdom. The first verse above gives us an admonition, while the second one states the results of keeping that admonition. These verses are simply stating "cause" and "effect." The Bible states here, that if we will not be forgetful to keep God's laws, but rather keep them in our hearts and obey them; they will produce three things -- days full of accomplishment, long life and peace. These three things are in addition to other things that the Lord promises His people.

The Lord wants to bless us and our families with long life and peace; just as many of His other blessings are available to us. However, our part is to put His Word in our hearts, and through faith and obedience we must appropriate these promises. God has a plan and a purpose for every human being in this world. It is a wonderful plan and He promises each of us a long life so that we can fulfill it. However, we do have an enemy, the devil, who is out to destroy that plan, along with God's purpose for our lives. Jesus, in the New Testament, speaks of the devil as a robber, who is out to kill and destroy. The devil seeks to rob us and our families of our peace and our promised long lives.

Verse 4 is a promise that we shall find favor and understanding with God and man if we do two things: that is, to allow mercy and truth to rule our hearts and lives. When we are told to bind truth to our hearts, this scripture is referring to God's Word as truth. Therefore, we are admonished to keep God's Words and His truth in our hearts. What is truth according to the Bible? We find this answer in John 14:6: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

To bind truth in our hearts, we must invite Jesus to come and dwell in our hearts since He is the Truth. We can never find our way in this world, until we allow the Holy Spirit through Jesus to guide us and lead us. Life is in Him. Truth is in Him. When we follow Him, we will keep His commandments. His commandments and words are the absolute truth. The Bible makes the following statement about the Word of God and the words that Jesus spoke: Matthew 24:35: "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

In the day that we live, humanistic teachings have spread that say there are no absolutes; thus -- no absolute truth. Humanism teaches that each man is his own guide and truth. We are told to do what feels right for us; however, others may not do the same thing, if their consciences bothers them. This destructive teaching is creating havoc in our world because it eliminates a standard, and without standards we have no justice nor fairness. Everyone's own ideas create situations where there is no right nor wrong -- just what is decided by each individual at the moment. Each person becomes a law unto themselves. The Bible even speaks of this kind of thinking in Proverbs 16:25: "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
If we desire the favor of God, we must embrace His Words and His ways. If we would like the favor of men, we must not only embrace the truth, but we must also be merciful to people. We must not be legalistic about the Word of God, but always have mercy in our hearts toward those that break the laws of God. The Lord tells us, if we desire to obtain mercy in our time of need, we must be merciful to those that fall short of the truth. Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."

PERFECT AND UPRIGHT

Proverbs 2:21-22


Thoughts for the Day

These verses are a wonderful promise for God's people. The first verse says that the upright and the perfect shall dwell in the land and remain in it. This is a great promise of protection and also is a promise that the devil cannot run us off of the land that the Lord has placed us in. What makes a person upright and perfect? The Bible calls us righteous or upright when we have accepted the Lord Jesus as our savior, and we walk in His will. When it speaks of perfect, this is speaking to us to be like Jesus and our Heavenly Father.

In the New Testament, we read this scripture: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).Immediately, we think that there is no way we can be perfect.The Bible would never tells us to be something that we could not be. The Bible meaning of perfect is better rendered mature. The Lord does not want us to remain immature and get in the flesh, and do things that are unbecoming as His followers. He wants us to grow up and be perfect or mature. He wants us to stand in His righteousness and not our own.

Notice that verse 22 tells us that it is the wicked that shall be cut off and removed from the earth, not the righteous. The Bible says in Psalm 24:1: "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." God and His people will eventually inhabit the earth, and it will be the devil's followers who will be removed.

In the Lord's prayer, Jesus prayed, "They kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." The Lord wants to demonstrate His will and kingdom in this earth to all people and the way He wants to do it, is for each of His people to demonstrate the will of God in their lives. He wants our light to shine in this dark world.

Matthew 13:41-43: "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."

BEWARE

Proverbs 2:16-20

Thoughts for the Day

These verses are given as a warning to young men who desire to walk in the wisdom of God. The verses above this tell us that if we hide the Word of God in our hearts and we obey Him, then when we are tempted, we will not fall into a trap of the enemy. These words are as timely today as the day they were written. Many men have ruined their lives by having affairs with loose women. If their lives are not ruined, they still have a stain upon it that remains all the days of their lives. Even though God can and does forgive illicit love affairs, most people are not as forgiving, as they still remember them. We have seen this not only in political leaders, but religious leaders as well over the past number of years. It has left the nation and the church weakened and our young people have been disillusioned by dishonorable role models.

The verses above describe loose women as those that run around on their husbands and forget their covenant with God. They become ensnared with lust and the devil uses them to flirt with men and lead them astray. These verses refer to her house as one that sinks down to death and shady paths. This refers to sin that leads to death or carries the death principle (which means anything that eventually leads to death). Sin always brings a curse. Our nation today is cursed with many painful and incurable sexually transmitted diseases. Statistics show that more than one in five Nigerians are infected with a viral sexually transmitted disease. This is not including AIDS. Aids ranks as the ninth leading cause of death in the USA. Men and women who are unfaithful will find it hard to return to the paths of righteousness without the help of God. The warning above for men to stay pure is applicable to women also who would be tempted by lustful men. We must pray for our young people and our nation to return to the Biblical virtues of virginity and chastity before marriage, and faithfulness to the marriage vows after wedlock. Divorce, fornication and sexual sins are not only dividing our homes, but are destroying the very heart of our nation.

RIGHTEOUSNESS, JUDGEMENT AND EQUITY

Proverbs 2:9-15

Thoughts for the Day

If we recieve and treasure His words, then we can understand righteousness, judgment and equity and know the right and good path in which to walk. Let us look at these three words: righteousness, judgment and equity.

(1) First, the Bible definition of righteousness means "to be in right standing with God." This is only possible through one way -- we must accept Jesus, God's son, as our savior. We must repent of our sins and receive God's pardon for those sins through what Jesus did on the cross. When we yield our life to Christ, it is at that moment that we become righteous (or become in right standing) with God. This is a gift of God and has nothing to do with what we have done or have not done. We are now righteous in God's sight. We are now just as pure as God's own Son, Jesus. The only requirement to maintain this righteousness is that we stay in a right relationship with Christ, by faith in what He has done for us. We are not saved by works, but by the grace of God. However, good works will be the evidence that we are saved. Good works follow our conversion, but do not attain eternal life. Titus 3:4-8

(2.)Judgement, being a legal term, is generally understood by most men. Simply put, it is a legal decree, or sentence given by a judge.God, being the ultimate judge, will one day judge every man by his deeds -- whether they be good and righteous or whether they be evil. Herein lies the most wonderful truth about Christianity. When any person repents of his evil deeds and accepts Jesus as His savior, he immediately is judged righteous by God because of Jesus. Therefore, the judgement of God against evil is cancelled against that man. He will not be sentenced to hell nor is he unrighteous any longer. If we belong to God, we can now approach the Father through Jesus. We are accepted as righteous and our prayers are heard because of Him. Therefore we can boldly ask for the things we need.

(3)Equity is fairness or justice. It means to be fair, straight or right. When we trust God and obey His commandments, we are told that we will reap what we sow. When we sow good things, we will receive good things back. However, because there is evil in this world, we do endure some injustices as God's children. Even though we may be persecuted and may not always be treated fairly in this world, we can be sure that in the world to come, God will see that we receive our fair and just rewards. The good path of God's way will always end in blessing. We find that path through His Word, His wisdom and by obeying Him.

These verses tell us that when we have God's wisdom and His Word in our hearts and when His knowledge has become pleasant to us, that we will receive the discretion and the understanding that will keep us in a variety of ways.First of all, God's Word that gives us wisdom will deliver us from evil men. One of these ways is that we no longer desire to hang out with those that have wickedness in their hearts or speak froward things.What does "froward" mean? It means contrary, adverse or unfavorable. Verse 12 tells us, if we listen to the wisdom of God and obey His Word, even men that speak froward (contrary, adverse, or unfavorable) words against us, will not be able to hurt us.One of the temptations when men speak against us, is to retaliate with ugly words. In fact, one of the things that destroys many marriages is couples that continually argue with railing words for railing words. What is the wisdom of God in circumstances of accusations made against us? 1 Peter 3:8-12

Verses 13-15 describe those kind of people who leave the right path of God's love and begin walking in darkness.Then, they become blinded to the truth. This takes them the next step into evil -- they begin to rejoice in their evil ways and delight in the way of the wicked. Their ways become crooked.Today we call them crooks.They end up going down the wrong path and are lost. We must pray for all those that we know who are walking in the wrong ways. And we must especially pray for our brothers and sisters in the Lord who fall into the trap of railing, or speaking wrongly against us. We must attempt to keep the peace and walk in kindness regardless of where they are walking. They may be guilty for what they are saying against us, but we will become guilty in a different way if we retaliate. We must choose to walk in love.

WISDOM AND JUDGEMENT

Proverbs 2:6-8

Thoughts for the Day

In verse 6 we see that God is the one that gives us godly wisdom and it comes from His mouth and His understanding. This is saying to us that if we want to be wise, we must read the Bible, as it records the things that He has spoken. As we read God's Word, we will receive His knowledge and understanding about any issue that we desire to know about. This means when we have a certain problem that we are dealing with in our lives, we should do two things immediately -- 1.) Seek God in prayer about the problem -- 2.) Search the Bible as to what it says about the problem. After you pray, sometimes the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart as to what you are to do about your problem. He may bring a certain person to your mind and when you call that person they will have the answer to your problem. Or, He may bring a scripture to your memory that you have read in the past and that could be the answer to your problem. However, if you do not hear an answer in your spirit, many times you will find your answer in reading and studying what the Bible says about the issue. You can use a Bible concordance to assist you in finding the topic you have a question about and then you can read all the verses about that subject or topic.

In verse 7, the Bible says, that He lays up sound wisdom for us. That means it is there for us, but we must go get it and not just leave it lying there. Therefore, we are responsible for gaining wisdom by searching for it. Also in verse 7, it mentions that the Lord is a "buckler" to those that walk uprightly. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for "buckler" can mean shield, or in this verse it means a spear. This means that God is our protector. He promises to protect and keep us from harm when we obey Him and walk in His ways. This is only one of the rewards that comes from finding and walking in the wisdom of God.

In verse 8 When we look at this scripture, we find it says, God keeps the paths (plural) of judgment. This means that there are two paths of judgment. Judgment, therefore, is two-fold:

1) There is judgment for the wicked. They are punished for their deeds, as the penalty for sin is executed upon them. They reap what they have sown: Ezekiel 11:21, Galatians 6:7-8.

(2) There is also judgment for the righteous as they are rewarded for their faithfulness: Proverbs 13:13, Hebrew 11:6

We must all one day stand before the Judgment Seat of the Lord and receive our judgments. Just as people are brought to court in trials, so it is with the judgment of God against evil. We can trust God that even if we have been treated unfairly at times, He will eventually reward us in the proper way and prove our innocence. Proverbs also says He preserves the way of the righteous. That means He will protect and take care of His own and make a way for us even if there appears to be no way in the natural. The Lord delights in answering our prayers and making a way out of our problems, even if it takes a miracle. Remember, miracles are God's specialty!

FEAR OF GOD

Proverbs 2:1-5(KJV): "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God."

Thoughts for the Day

These verses tell us that if we desire to understand what the "fear of the Lord" means and find out about the things that God knows, then we must do certain things for this to happen. First of all, the most important thing, is to receive God's Words and act on them. We must make daily Bible study an important part of our lives. As we study God's Word, and ask God to give us the understanding of it, we will find that the words on the pages of the Bible will become alive to us. Many times, I have been reading along and suddenly it is like the words simply leap off the page and into my heart. At other times, I have read the same scripture over and over, and I really didn't understand it, so I would just read past it, wondering in my heart what it meant. I would pray and ask the Lord to show me what it meant. Asking God for understanding is what lifting up our voice for understanding means. At a later time, reading that same scripture, suddenly I would understand. Many times the Holy spirit would bring to my mind another scripture that would shed light on the one I was meditating about. Then, I find that just knowing the Word of God is not enough, I must obey the commandments that are written in it.

In these verses, He says if we seek for His knowledge like searching for silver or hidden treasures, we will find it. Searching for treasure requires one to:

Inquire where the treasure might be found

Find a map to help in the search

Get the tools to dig for it

Find the right people to help in the search

And finally: Actually dig for it

I think we can see the spiritual application here. Also, we must realize when we approach the Bible to read it, this Book cannot be read as a common novel. It is a Holy Book and it cannot be simply read with the natural eyes, and studied with intellect alone. We must bring our hearts to God when we read and study, if we are to gain His knowledge. This book was inspired by the Holy Spirit and to gain its knowledge and wisdom we must have the Holy Spirit to interpret and enlighten it to us. We must have spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to us. If we seek for this Book's treasures, we shall find gems of truth and un-mined gold within its pages.

WISDOM & WARNING

Proverbs 1:20-23(Amplified): "Wisdom cries aloud in the street; she raises her voice in the markets. 21 She cries at the head of the noisy intersections -- in the chief gathering places -- at the entrance of the city places she speaks: 22 "How long, O simple ones and open to evil, will you love being simple? And the scoffers delight in scoffing, and (self-confident) fools hate knowledge? 23 If you will turn (repent) and give heed to my reproof, behold, I (Wisdom), will pour out my spirit upon you, I will make my words known to you."

Proverbs 1:24-33(KJV):
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Thoughts for the Day

The author of all wisdom is the Lord God Himself. One of His names is WISDOM. When the above scripture mentions WISDOM crying out, this is in reference to the Lord giving His wisdom to men that are in places of administration in the cities. In the Old Testament of the Bible, when the gates of the city are mentioned it was always a reference to where the elders of the city gathered to make the decisions for the people within the city.

When the above scripture gives a warning to the simple, the Hebrew word for simple in these verses has this meaning: foolish, easily enticed and seduced, credulous, inexperienced. With this in mind, the Lord is telling us not to be foolish, but to seek His wisdom and then, we can have His knowledge as to how to deal with our affairs. If we learn to take responsibility and deal with our own affairs in a righteous way, then the Lord will promote us to places of leadership and eldership. He wants to use us to be in positions of authority, so that we might help others in the ways of the Lord. God is using Christian businessmen today to bring His godly principles to the market place. If any nation will line up their economic principles with the Word of God they will become prosperous and blessed. The opposite is also true, if nations fail to do this they will suffer poverty and economic failure. These same principles of wisdom are also true in the area of personal finances.

These scriptures give us a very sober and serious warning about rejecting the Lord and refusing to hear His Words. This warning is for all God haters and those who refuse to yield to God. We have a very loving and compassionate God. However, there is a point that we can continue to reject God and His Word and He will finally leave us alone. This is a frightening thought. In the New Testament we are also warned of this: Hebrews 3:7-12

The Lord makes it very clear how one can come to the place where God will not answer:
* Failure to answer when God calls
* Failure to listen to God's counsel
* Despising correction and reproof from God
* Hating God's knowledge
* Showing disrespect and no fear of God
* Turning away from God (backsliding)
* Making prosperity their goal

By doing these things we actually are sowing seeds of rebellion which will produce the fruit of destruction. In our lives, there comes a time when we will simply reap what we have sown. The Lord will allow us to have what we want, but with our own way, comes bitter fruit that is our lot also. However, on the positive side, when we do listen and obey God we are promised to dwell safely and not walk in the fear of evil. God wants to bless us, but the choice is ours. We shall reap what we sow.

INSTRUCTION

Proverbs 1:8-9(Amplified): "My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother; 9 For they are a (victor's) chaplet of grace upon your head, and the chains and pendants (of gold worn by kings) for your neck."
Proverbs 1:10-19 (RSV): 10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, "Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us wantonly ambush the innocent; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 throw in your lot among us, we will all have one purse" 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them, hold back your foot from their paths; 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird; 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood, they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of all who get gain by violence; it takes away the life of its possessors."


THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY

One of the requirements for receiving wisdom is the admonition for sons and daughters to listen to and respect the godly advice and teachings from our parents. In fact, this is one of the ten commandments listed in Exodus 20:12: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee." Notice this commandment comes with a promise -- if we honor our parents, we will have long life. Parents are older, therefore they have more experience and are able to instruct their children wisely so they can avoid the mistakes that they may have made. This blessing is described in today's verses as a victor's wreath on one's head which means we shall walk in an overcoming position in this life. The golden necklace is symbolic of prosperity and favor. If we are obedient children we will have these blessings. If we are godly parents we are able to pass these blessings on to our children, who in turn can pass them on to theirs.

In looking at these verses, we can see that as parents, it is our responsibility to warn our children of the dangers of hanging out with the wrong crowd. Also, there are warnings to young people to stay away from habitual sinners. There is a saying stating that, "Birds of a feather flock together." If we do not want to be like the kind of people that are evil, we must not be buddies with them, nor allow our children to buddy with them. There is another saying, "If you play with fire you will get burned." Young people and older people as well, cannot entertain the notion that you can be close to wickedness and not find yourself being drug into the same wicked deeds that they do. If we do not resist evil, it will soon overtake us. Smaller sins eventually lead to bigger ones. The Bible says that greed, and the desire for money can lead one into robbery and as the above verses declare, even to murder. Gangs are rampant today because the above words of wisdom were not heeded by many of our young people.

One trick that the devil uses to ensnare good Christians is to entice them to become friends with ungodly people. Satan usually whispers that by being their friend, you can win them to Christ. I am not saying we should snub evil people, nor should we be unkind to them. However, we cannot become close buddies to those that practice unrighteousness, as this has been the downfall of many Christians. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 , Psalm 37:1-4

PROVERBS

Proverbs 1:5-6 (KJV): "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings."

Proverbs 1:7(KJV): "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Thoughts for the Day

The book of Proverbs is referred to as the book of wisdom in the Bible. God caused Solomon to pen these great truths. He had learned wisdom, as we must all learn it -- by listening to and heeding the Words of God. We must ask God for ears to hear what the Lord is speaking. Some people complain that they cannot understand the Bible. Actually none of us can understand the sum total of the Bible, because it comes from a God who is unfathomable. However, when we come to God, and acknowledge Jesus as our savior, we are given new insight. We begin our journey of learning about our new Father and His ways. As we study His Book, the Holy Spirit gives us the understanding that brings us into wise counsel and we can increase our learning of the Almighty God.

After forty-eight years of studying the Bible, I am still in awe when I read a verse that I have read many times and never understood it and suddenly I am enlightened and can "understand a proverb" or that "dark saying." I realize this comes because of my relationship with the One who inspired the Bible in the first place. He has given me something of His heart or mind and my love for Him is deepened. We should always be grateful when God allows us revelation of His Word and, when we do not understand it at the moment, that is when we are called to trust Him. Perhaps, at a later time, as we mature and grow in Him, we can receive that understanding that we have asked Him for. In the meantime, we can certainly walk in the light of the Words we do understand.

According to this scripture one must have "the fear of the Lord" to attain knowledge. Since this is true, we need to know what it means to "fear the Lord," as most of us desire to attain knowledge. In this verse, the "fear of the Lord" actually means "to be alarmed due to what could happen, if we disrespect or show lack of reverence to the Lord's Words." A good example of this would be if a young person respects the words of his father, he will heed those words and not disobey, as he knows the consequence of doing wrong will bring the father's disfavor and punishment. This same thing applies to our heavenly Father. If we really respect and believe the Words of God we will not disobey them, as we know there will be a penalty for doing so. We resist sinning as we fear the consequences. The acknowledgement of this one truth truly is the gateway to attain the knowledge of God.

People that have no "fear of God" go about breaking the laws of God, as if nothing will ever happen to them. The Bible refers to these people as foolish. Fools are those who are rebellious and despise the wisdom and instruction of God. Because our God is a merciful, sometimes people do not immediately pay for the consequences of their sins, but in time, all of us will reap what we sow, as that is what the Word of God says in Galatians 6:7: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." The only way the reaping and sowing process can be stopped is through repentance of our sins. When we accept Jesus as our savior, because He paid the penalty for our sin on the cross, we do not have to pay for it. We escape hell and all of its consequences. How wonderful this is. It can be compared to having someone who comes and plows up a field of sin where the weed seed we planted would sprout in time. Instead, through Christ's love for us, we are now given a clean plowed field, so that we can plant a good crop. One that we can enjoy and even have an abundant harvest to bless others.

PROVERBS 2

Proverbs 1:3-4(KJV): "To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion."

Thoughts for the Day

Solomon, the author of Proverbs, sought to receive instruction from God in these verses. According to the Bible he became the wisest man of his day. Here we see he received wisdom, justice, judgment and equity. Looking at three of these -- justice, judgment, and equity; we see these are actions that we desire that others would extend to us. We all want to be treated fairly and equitably. However, a mark of maturity in Christ is, when we are also willing to lay down our justified rights and make sure that we are also extending the same rights to others. We must apply the same Word of God to ourselves, as well as those around us. That is what it means to live by the Golden Rule -- "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you."

God promises to give this wisdom and instruction to those that will humble themselves in a simple way and to those that become childlike in their approach to God. We must not take a prideful, nor a haughty attitude if we desire to receive knowledge and discretion from God. He gives His instruction only to the teachable and those that depend on God and not their own human reasoning. This does not mean we are to not use our minds. However, it does mean that we are not to just rely on our own logic and reasoning, but to bring God into our daily affairs so that we have access to the mind of Christ with His guidance and His wisdom.