Proverb a Day in May - May 20th/Chapter 20

As we come to the 20th day and 20th chapter, I pray this has been a blessing to you. Maybe some of you are reading this and feeling bad because you have not followed every day. To that I say, "It doesn't matter what prevented you in the past, just don't let it prevent you in the presence."

There is so much I would like to touch on today, but seeing that I have spent some time this week at the Independent Baptist Fellowship International, this verse is what stood out to me the most:

Proverbs 20:25 - It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.

We see a lot all around us in the name of Christianity that is nothing more than devouring that which is holy. Holy means to be set apart, and there are some things that should be set apart for God: His Word; the local, New Testament Church, and evangelism, to say a few. And the worse part about is, that now many years later, we need to hold meetings and seminars to make enquiry and discuss what went wrong. God help us to never be entangled in the snare of worldliness and to always hold in high esteem those things which are the Lords. 

Proverb a Day in May - May 19th/Chapter 19

There is an old principle that states: If God said it once, it is important; if God said it twice, you better pay special attention to it. We notice that here in this chapter:

Proverbs 19:5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.

Proverbs 19:9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.

We live in a society that does not place much value on the spoken word. You can say just about anything these days without any repercussions (unless you are a Christian speaking in public, but that is for another blog post on another day!). Yet, God holds us to every word that we utter, and has no use for those who lie, or bear false witness.

The phrase "shall not escape...shall perish" interest me. In it, there is an implied thought that the liar gets away with their lies for a moment of time, but their day of justice will come. Many times people do not consider the hurt and damage that their lies cause.

It reminds me of the story of the young boy who lied to all of his friends about how mean his mother was to him. His father found out about it and confronted him on the issue and the young boy broke down in tears, admitting what he had done. Earlier in the day, they had been working on putting in a new wooden fence post. The young son wanted to know what he could do to take back his words and make it better, so his dad told him to take a nail and nail it into the new fence post for every lie that he told. After he finishes this, his father then tells him to then take out each nail. Once he does, the son tells his father, "Look at all of those nail holes, I can't fix them and make the post look the same again?" And his father answered, "The same is true with our lies, once they go out, the damage will always be there."

Let us all take heed to Solomon's words and steer clear of lying. Remember, there is no such thing as a "little white lie" with God.

Proverb a Day in May - May 18th/Chapter 18

As I read chapter 18, I cannot get past the first verse: Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom. At first glance, this seems to be speaking of something that is good, especially in our Independent, Fundamental, Baptist circles. But further reading and understanding reveal something different to us.

The word intermeddleth here means, obstinate; which means to be stubborn, determined to have own way. What I think Solomon, through the inspiration and leading of the Holy Spirit, is trying to warn us against is those who swant to seperate themselves by seeking and pushing "new" ideas, doctrines, etc. Remember, it was Solomon who told us that there is "no new thing under the sun."

So, this sepereated man here in Proverbs seeks desire, but not the right kind of desire. His desire is his own self reputation and pleasures. He is not content with traveling down the "old paths" with everyone else, but seeks to make his own, new path. Now there are times we are called to be a trailblazer, just like Paul in the New testament, but that should not be our desire The desire that motivates us should be God's desire working in us and through us. The man who desires to make his own path and way so that he does not have to answer to anyone and gets the glory for being on their own is not a man we should seek to be.

I know there are a lot of other truths to be learned from this chapter. What interested you today?

Proverb a Day in May - May 17th/Chapter 17

There is a principle in chapter 17 that I noticed after reading, and that is that sometimes it is better just to keep our mouth AND our ears shut.

17:4 - The wicked person referred to here is not necessarily the one who is doing the speaking, but the one who is doing the listening. Often times, Christians think they are doing nothing wrong because they did not say anything. Yet, this verse tells us we ARE a liar if we listen to those things that are not true. I believe the reason being that lies and gossip only spread as far as someone is willing to listen. As I often say, "Don't allow yourself to be someone else's trashcan. Tell them to keep their garbage to themselves."

17:14 - Solomon here gives great advice about how to handle a fight or a disagreement - walk away before it starts and gets out of hand! How many times do we feel the need to "get our point across," when really we are just giving in to our ego and trying to prove to everyone that we are right? We would have a lot less arguments and a lot more friendships still in tact if we would just quietly walk away from needless and pointless arguments.

Proverb a Day in May - May 16th/Chapter 16

There are a lot of great verses in this chapter that I will leave for you to comment on today. Let me just briefly touch on the ending verse: Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. What this tells us is that nothing happens by accident or chance with the Lord.

Case in point when the church gathered together to choose who should take Judas' place in Acts 1:24-26 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, (25) That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. (26) And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. God had his choice in place, and His will was done and His name glorified in the choosing.

No matter what the situation is in your life, God is in control!

Proverb a Day in May - May 15th/Chapter 15

In chapter 15, one of the verses that stood out was Proverb 15:10 Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die. Next to this verse in my Bible I have this statement written down: Those who hate correction are those who KNOW they are doing wrong but CHOOSE to still do it.

What a shame when someone knows to do right, yet willfully chooses to do wrong. As born again believers, we know the way, yet it is our choice whether or not we will follow it. God has created us with a free will, and we exercise this free will not only in salvation, but in our daily life, as well.

The fact of the matter is that every Christian, from one time or another, will begin to stray from the way of life and need a little correction. How we respond to that correction and reproof is a proof of our spiritual stature. When we lash out in anger, it shows that we have not begun to stray, but we started straying a long time ago and are very far from the way God has for us.

Proverb a Day in May - May 14th/Chapter 14

One of the many truths we read in this chapter is, "The Regression of a Nation."

• #1 - They Flaunt Sin - 14:9. One of the first steps in the downward spiral of sin is to mock, or flaunt sin. When we, as a nation, not only no longer view sin as sin, but actually mock those who stand for what is right, then we have begun the regression of a nation.
• #2 - They Follow Sinfulness - 14:12. Notice the phrasing of the verse: there is a way which SEEMETH right. When a nation begins to flaunt sin and sinful lifestyles, they will begin to make decisions and go in directions that seem right, but that is only because their vision is off. The evidence of this is when a nation begins to make and pass laws protecting sin and oppressing righteousness.
• #3 - They are Filled with Slander - 14:25. A nation that is in regression is a nation that is filled with deceitful men and women who are more worried about promoting their sinful way and not truth. A true witness is more worried about truth and right and not their own personal agenda.
• #4 - They make sure Folly is Saluted - 14:29. True national regression is seen in whom they exhalt. America is a perfect example of this folly. When actors and athletes are our heroes, and not parents and preachers (preachers are those who proclaim the Gospel, whether in a church behind a podium or in the streets and the home in a one-on-one conversation), we have truly regressed as a nation.

Which leads to Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. If we would like for our country to once again be exalted, we must begin to exalt righteousness and no longer sin.