God Speaks
Be Wise: Fear the LORD and Shun Evil
Verse of the Day: The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Proverbs 15:3 NIV 2011)
Read or listen on BibleGateway.com
Watch TBR Day 158
We Respond
Reflection
Consider the following questions regarding Proverbs 13-15?
> 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 13-15 can be summarized as follows.
1. Whoever fears the LORD walks (lives) uprightly.
2. People who despise God (and His ways) are devious in their ways.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Proverbs 13-15?
Thank You, LORD God, that through response to Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and intercession, You changed me from being foolish and wicked to being wise and godly. I may do foolish things at times, but thank You that it doesn’t have to be fatal or eternal. All I need to do is turn back to You and receive the forgiveness Jesus obtained for me. Please help me pass this wisdom on to others so that they can enjoy the benefits of wisdom, godliness, and righteousness–protection, guidance, provision, and all the fruit of the Spirit. Thank You, LORD, for gift of wise counselors, be they parents or friends, who can guide us to solutions to our problems. Especially, thank You, Spirit of God, for being the source of all wisdom. May multitudes turn to You. LORD God, You are the source of all wisdom. Thank You for making me secure as I seek to live a wise and godly life by the help of Your Spirit. Thank You again that Jesus made all of this possible through His life, death, and resurrection. Please help me to avoid involvement with foolish people, so that I don’t get ensnared by them. Help me not to believe everything I hear but check it out with You so that I can know what is really true. I want to bring You glory, LORD, by living a godly life. Loving Father God, please help me to be wise and godly. I desire to honor You in all I say and do. As I interact with other people, please help me to be kind, helpful, cheerful, generous, unselfish, and gentle. Help me to discern if a certain course of action only seems right from a human perspective but will ultimately lead to death. I want to be cautious and alert and turn away from evil. Please help me to be gracious to the poor and to cooperate in raising them out of poverty. Fearing You, LORD God, makes me confident and strong and serves as a fountain of life. I humbly submit to You in reverential awe, my Savior and 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.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Proverbs 13? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
Since each of these proverbs deserves special attention, I will print them out on separate strips of paper, put them in a box and pull one out each day to consider, to ask the LORD about and to apply to my daily life. As a result, over time, I will do some or all of the following:
- I will avoid people who want to involve me in some get-rich-quick scheme.
- I will work hard and save so that I can leave an inheritance for those I love.
- I will ask God to show me how to have a peaceful heart which should lead to a healthy body (lower blood pressure?).
- I will be a truthful witness and hopefully save lives both physically and spiritually.
- I will monitor what I say to be sure that I am giving a gentle, uplifting answer rather than a harsh putdown.
- I will commend the person (especially a child) whenever I see them acting wisely or in a godly manner.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.