Proverbs – Page 8 – Be Still…

Proverbs 16:1-17 – What Are Your Plans?

Are you a planner? Do you schedule your life down to the last minute? Sometimes that’s exactly what we need to do when we have a busy life. I still keep a calendar, so I’ll know where I’m supposed to be when, who I’m supposed to talk to, what activity I need to get done (like today is dog nail clipping day). If I don’t schedule something, it might not happen. Life, busy work, and trivial things all have a way of oozing into the nooks and crannies of time and pretty soon the day is over.

There are several proverbs in today’s reading that seem a bit connected. Being that “quality time” is my love language, these really spoke to me. Verse 1, “We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer.” Verse 3, “Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.” Verse 9, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” What do we see here? Planning is a good thing, but God needs to be part of our process.

Proverbs 15:21-33 – Humble Yourself

Read Proverbs 15:21-33

Would you agree that most people would rather take the shorter route to their destination? Or perhaps the fastest route would be better? To say the least, we are a destination focused society. Think of these examples. On vacation, you are heading somewhere. When reading a book, your destination is the ending of the story. When in school, you are working toward a degree or certification. Whatever the destination is, there is a journey to get there.

What if the journey is more important than the destination? Are we spending too much time focused on outcome that we miss the beauty of the steps to get there? Think of all the people who want to be famous and receive recognition and honor. That is the destination they seek. Verse 33 would say, “Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” We must humble ourselves first. If our “destination” is fame and glory, we need to first step back, humble ourselves, and prepare our hearts for the honor. We need not discount the beautiful journey we will take to get there and be more focused on serving and blessing others.

Proverbs 15:11-20 – What are You Hungry For?

Read Proverbs 15:11-20

One of the hardest things for me to do is deciding what’s for dinner. It should be easy enough. Open the refrigerator and see what pops out. I’ve even been known to make a meal schedule ahead of time for the week or month so I can be prepared and avoid the big decision each day. It should be simple enough–you cook and/or eat what you have. Sometimes there are too many choices. Sometimes I just don’t want to decide. I’d rather the meal just cook itself. I do dream of the day when I will have a full- time cook preparing our meals.

Enough about food, but I do wonder what you’re hungry for. Verse 14 says, “A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.” What is this saying to us? It’s not food at all. It’s hungering for truth, for more wisdom, for learning something new each day. It is a way of becoming better at what we do, what we know, and who we are. There are so many resources available on almost any topic. You can be an expert in pretty much anything you want these days.

Proverbs 15:1-10 – What Does God See?

Read Proverbs 15:1-10

God sees everything. Everywhere. Verse 15:3 says, “The Lord is watching everywhere, keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.” Depending on how you are living your life, this proverb will either comfort you or scare you to death. One thing is sure, we cannot hide from God.

God not only watches our comings and goings, but he knows what’s inside our heart. Jeremiah 17:10 says, “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.” There are other places in Scripture that confirm this as well. Psalm 44:21 says, “Would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.” God is all knowing. Isn’t that amazing?!

Proverbs 14:21-35 – Bless the Poor

Read Proverbs 14:21-35

There are so many good messages in today’s reading. We should fear the Lord, be understanding, do good, be godly and with it comes great benefit. But what about the poor? Is anybody looking out for them? I am bombarded with requests from poor souls in developing countries to help them, send food, send money, help them escape poverty. I wish I could help every single one.

But in reality, I’d run out of money to support myself if I were to take on the task of helping everyone who asks me. What I can offer is prayer. I can pray for the mission organizations that we do support with funding. They know the best ways to help the most people. Just throwing dollars at those who beg will only be a short-term solution and not solve the bigger problem. My mission dollars will go a long way in the right hands. Yet my heart still cries out for those poor souls who are seeking my help.