God Speaks
A Collection of the Wise Sayings of Solomon
Verse of the Day: The LORD detests those whose hearts are perverse, but He delights in those whose ways are blameless. (Proverbs 11:20 NIV 2024)
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Watch TBR Day 157
We Respond
Reflection
[The rest of the book of Proverbs is a collection of sayings by the wisest man who ever lived. They convey truth but are not promises or prescriptions. They are his observations, from a rational, human perspective, of how things generally work.]
Consider the following questions regarding Proverbs 10-12
> 1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
> 2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Proverbs 10-12
1. The LORD God provides for, protects and delights in the righteous (those who follow God’s ways).
2. Proverbs generally address the following kinds of people: the wise (or righteous), the fools (wicked, evil–those who reject God’s ways), the lazy versus diligent, or the uninformed (simple).
Prayer: How might I pray regarding Proverbs 10-12?
Dear all-wise God who promises to teach wisdom to anyone who asks, without ridiculing or condemning them, thank You. I so need to ponder these sayings in my heart. My own heart, my life and family, my community, and my nation are in such disarray and confusion. Please draw us back to Yourself and the wisdom that only comes from You. I need and want to grow more in exhibiting the positive side of these sayings (wisdom) and less in displaying the negative side (folly). I desire to properly fear You, LORD, instead of rebelling against You. I want to receive and give wise advice. May the children (and adults) that I know and care about bring joy and not grief to their parents. May we turn to You to help us to be diligent, to have integrity, to be open to instruction and correction, to be humble (willingly admit we don’t know it all but need help), to handle wealth and possessions wisely, to be generous, and to do those things that lead to a long, meaningful life. Thank You, LORD God, that, although not one of us as human beings can be holy, or righteous, or godly, or wise on our own, You have provided salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. You also provided the Scriptures to inform us and the Holy Spirit to enable us to act according to Your plans and purposes. Holy Spirit, please help me to pay attention to and obey God’s instructions. Please help me to forsake pride and pursue humility, to search for goodness that leads to favor and life, to avoid falsehood that leads to calamity and death, to be gracious and receive respect versus being ruthless and gaining only empty wealth. May I be generous and prosper as well as refreshing others and be refreshed in return. I desire to give freely and not to be stingy. Most of all, I determine to be wise and good, not foolish, or wicked. Father God, thank You that You have given us these proverbs so that we can learn to be wise instead of foolish or wicked. We human beings frequently do foolish things, but we do not have to remain in our folly. Through exercising faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can bring everything to You and have it forgiven, cleansed, and restored. We can then go on to be the worthy wives, hard workers, honest witnesses, diligent students, good leaders, truthful speakers, and encouraging advisors to whom these proverbs refer. Then we will be happy and bring You glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.) What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Proverbs 10? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will study these and other proverbs so that I can recognize, obtain and apply wisdom.
- I will use these sayings to choose wise leaders every chance I am given a choice.
- I will look for a way to show respect (not ridicule) to leaders with whom I may disagree, then act on it.
- I will think before I speak to be sure that my words are true, helpful, inspiring, necessary, and kind. [not original, but author unknown]
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.