I never thought of this before, but in the book of Wisdom, God presents the very last chapter to us through King Lemuel….because of the influence of aMOTHER.

How many heartfelt words does a mother speak to her children over the span of her life? ……..And how many times does a mother feel like the words she speaks are just going out into dead space…..not falling on receptive ears? We must speak them no matter what it feels like for we have no idea how or when God will use them. How m...

The title of this Proverb is ‘The Wisdom of Agur’. There is a note in one of my Bible’s which reads as follows: “Agur was most likely a student of wisdom at the time of Solomon. His proverbs reflect his humility, a deep hatred for arrogance, and a sound theological mind.”

Let’s listen to what he has to say and reflect on the questions he poses. 

¹ The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, his utterance. This man declared to Ithiel—to Ithiel and Ucal: 
 
   ² Surely I am more stupid than a...

1: He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed; and that without remedy.

Do you know someone like this? My mom used to call it the ‘hard head’; but I guess God calls it the hard neck. This isn’t the person who nobody cares about; it is the person who is corrected often, with many attempts made to point them to the narrow path….but sadly, they are content to travel the broad road; to “Have it MY way”. Suddenly however, their destruction comes; and i...

1: Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Yes, our mouths are the topic of conversation again… let’s learn together what pertains to us.

How many times have you ‘boasted’  about tomorrow? I have done so A LOT. Don’t get sidetracked by the word boast however; it doesn’t mean “to brag” in this instance as much as it means “to possess or to own; to contain or to have.” Think about it that way: tomorrow is not ours; God owns it; God po...

4: Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.

Sometimes we are not to answer the fool because we can easily be brought down to their level. And what good does that do? This is what the fool desires.

5: Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in how own conceit.

Sometimes we should answer a fool; but in such a way that he is put to shame. We don’t have to engage them in argument, but we also don’t have to ignore what they say.

Is this an area o...

A few Proverbs ago, we looked at some really good ‘pictures’ given through the Word of God. Let’s examine a few more that paint clearly what God wants us to seeand subsequently learn from.

11: A word spoken at the right time is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

14: Whoever boasts falsely of giving a gift is like clouds and wind without rain.

15: By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

19: Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of troub...

1: Do not be envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them 2: For their heart studies destruction and their lips talk of trouble. 17: Rejoice not when your enemyfalls and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles. 18: Lest the LORD see it and it displease him and he turn away his wrath from him. 19: Do not fret because of evil men; neither be envious of the wicked. 20: For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

There are many things God tells...

12-16: Apply your heart unto instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge. Do not withhold correction from the child: for if you beat him with the rod, he shall not die. You shall beat him with the rod, and shall deliver his soul from hell. My son, if your heart is wise, indeed my own heart shall rejoice. Yes, my inmost being shall rejoice when your lips speak right things.

Here are words that are completely contrary to the ways of the world we live in. Let’s look and see not what ma...

1: A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Joe isn’t a better name than Pete; Anne isn’t a better name than Sue. This verse isn’t referring to a ‘name’ per se, but rather to what is attached to the name. A good name, or one that is well spoken of, is to be chosen more than great riches. We should want to do that which will positively reflect our character more than we want to gain wealth. Riches can only do so much, but a go...

1: The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the channels of water: he turns it wherever he wishes.

What a comfort, especially today in the USA! Even the king…even the president cannot do what he wants to apart from the sovereign will of God. That means that total and ultimate control belongs to the LORD: in Roanoke Virginia, in Washington DC, and in every other place where life exists. Praise God that though the world looks out of control, He remains in full control.

16: The man that...

11: Even a child is known by his doing, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

We are known by our fruit. Good or bad; our fruit represents what or who we are living for.

12: The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD has made even both of them.

God Himself formed our eyes and our ears; He not only gave them to us, but at the magnificent creation He has surrounded us with; to hear the voices of those we love and the laughter of a carefree child. All that He made for us however is ...

3: The foolishness of man twists his way, and his heart frets against the LORD.

Here we have a foolish person…going his own way, doing his own thing, following the desires of a heart that is prideful and wicked. Trouble comes; as it most certainly will, and the fool, instead of seeing that he brought all of it upon himself, blames God for the failures. I have met so many people who do this! God is never even a consideration when they do what they do; yet…it’s ‘His fault’ when things ...

2: A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart.

7: A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.

A fool delights in expressing his own heart; getting his own opinion out in the open for all to hear. It isn’t that he can’t understand; he doesn’t want to understand. He doesn’t want to hear but to only speak. Therefore his mouth is his destruction.

BUT…..

10: The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are s...

Today, we’ll look at 3 verses that provide us with vivid imagery. They are far more than statements; they are meant to bring to our minds a real life experience that is on our level. We can understand what they mean, and if we want to, we can learn from the ‘picture’ they paint. Look with your eyes, and with the eyes of your heart. Ready?

1: Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.

Strife is bitter conflict and the absence of harmony. Less is far m...

3: Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established.

Our thoughts and what we dwell on will determine the things we act on. BUT, God tells us that when we commit our works to Him, our thoughts will be established. This ‘committing’ is far more than asking the LORD to bless what we’ve already done. That is merely tagging the LORD onto something after the fact. But what would happen if we committed ourselves, and our plans, (our “works”) to Him before, during, an...

 ~God tells us what wise speech does and what it is:

1: A soft answer turns away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger. *Anger is literally removed by a gentle response, but a heated response and harsh words just fuels the flame.

2: The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours out foolishness.

The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good. V: 3 *A reminder for all of us:  The LORD is always watching.*

4: A wholesome tongue is a tree of l...

He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is perverse in his ways despises Him. V:2

The first thing that stands out to me is that the one who is perverse in his ways DESPISES the LORD. That is VERY strong! I realized I might not quite understand what perverse really meant so I looked it up. Perverse: someone who is marked by a disposition to oppose and contradict; resistant to guidance or discipline; specifically turning away from what is moral or right; deliberate defiance.

Th...

There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing: there is one that makes himself poor, yet has great riches. V: 7

In God’s economy, things don’t work like the world’s system. How can one be rich, yet have nothing? How can one who is poor have great riches? Well, that ISN”T exactly right. It says: There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing; there is one that makes himself poor, yet has great riches. Our heart’s desire is at the root of this verse.

If I ‘make myself ric...

Do you love to learn?  If you do then you’ll love being instructed. If you don’t want instruction (in order to gain knowledge), well… you are stupid. Listen to what God tells us today: V1. Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge; but he that hates reproof is stupid. God’s Word says not always what we want to hear, but always what we need to hear. Instruction is a very necessary component to knowledge. Instruction involves lots of correction; over and over again. It requires focus; i...

Today as I post scripture, I will highlight words that go together. Look at them carefully and notice the consistency of the Word of God.

2-4: When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

16: A gracious woman retains honor, but ruthless men retain riches.

17: The merciful man does good for his ...

In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked little worth. The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of wisdom.   V: 19-21

WORDS……TONGUE………LIPS…….

Any idea what we need to look at today? I think I need it more than anyone. At this time in my life with a challenging situation I face, I need continuous reminders of what the living Word says. For some reason...

Has your presence ever been requested by more than one person at the same time? Have you ever wanted to be in two places at the same time? It isn’t possible no matter how much we may want to; we have to choose. Sometimes where we should go is a very easy decision to make; sometimes it’s much harder. And sometimes the choice will alter the path of our lives.

Today we are invited to two different ‘places’ by two different ‘people’. 

You are invited to a feast given by Wisdom:

Wisdom ha...

The first seven chapters of this wonderful Book have been presented to us in the form of “fatherly advice”. Now however God shifts the ‘Instructor’ so to speak to Wisdom.Wisdom is Jesus Christ; He will now instruct us. Mercy, grace, forgiveness, compassion, etc. never “spoke” to us in the first person; instead they are expressed as characteristics of God.  However these attributes never took center stage so to speak in the Word. This fact points us again to the recognition that WI...

As we begin today, here are some points to ponder before we look at scripture.

The great I AM speaks through this precious Word we hold in our hands. One word regarding anything from Him should be enough for us to be on ‘high alert’, with obedience as our chosen course of action. But when in His grace He repeats things over and over….again and again…we are given a glimpse of how passionate He is about sharing with us what is best. How completely ought we attend, tune in, and follow…....

The Creator Himself is the One who gave us variety. Look all around; everything we see is different, though all of it is a reflection of His character and glory. He has given us color, size, shape, texture, depth, and height. From a massive mountain range to the never ending sky…from the host of the starry sky to the effects of the all encompassing sun…all the way to the smallest of seeds that brings forth life in the form of plants and trees…to the intricate bird that moves from place ...

Along with the GREAT instruction of what to do to be wise, comes the GREAT instruction of what not to do.

*****warning*****                    *****Warning*****

Warnings are a high alert for us to use extreme caution. We are all too familiar with them on a very practical basis, AND we heed these warnings because we believe that the results will be devastating. For example: Don’t allow electrical items to come in contact with water. Don’t light a match near something that says “contents ar...

How many talks (or lectures as you probably called them) did your parents have with you as you were growing up? How many have you had with your children so far? Now what about this, how many do you remember really tuning into? For me the answer is not many. But the very nature of being a parent brings with it the need to instruct; to tell those you love what is most important. This instruction doesn’t come from out of the blue, but it comes from real life personal experience. In other words...

I really like how this chapter is presented. It clearly tells us what the commands of God are, AND the reasons to keep them. Have you ever noticed that often we (and our children) are more likely to follow something if we understand the reason why? Of course we must obey despite always understanding, but God in His goodness is willing to explain much of why He calls us to do what He does.

Command (in italics)        ~AND~            reason to keep (in bold)

V1.My son forget not my law.  v2. For...

How many of you have ever said to your child, “If you eat all your dinner then you may have dessert?” What about this: “If you finish your work then you can play?” There are so many examples of this in our lives. To sum it up, there are requirements that the first part of something happens prior to getting the part that is best or the part that we want. The benefit cannot come prior to the work or effort involved initially. This is true with all things in our life.

With that in mind, l...