vs 1 A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire, he rages against all wise judgment.
*importance of reaching out and seeking godly counsel
vs 2 A fool has no delight in understanding but in expressing his own heart.
*importance of being slow to speak and quick to listen
vs 4 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; the well spring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
*our words can bring life if we have godly wisdom
vs 7 A fools mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
* our words can get us into deep trouble if we are not careful with them
vs 8 The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles (wounds) and they go down into the inmost body.
* gossip only destroys
vs 9 He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
* whatever "work" we do whether it be ministry, our career outside the home, our career inside the home, it should be our very best and be unto the Lord
vs 10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
* I love this verse because it reminds me of how BIG God is and how even saying His name can make me feel better and safer. It also shows us that the righteous run to Him. We learned in our Proverbs walk last week that a "righteous" person is the opposite of a "wicked" person, a righteous person is one who seeks God and chooses to "live" for God as opposed to a wicked person who is "dead" in their sins. A righteous person realizes that to run to God is a wise thing! When we run toward God we will be safe, safe from our fears, saved from our sinful past, and running toward a bright future!
vs 13 He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.
* Listen before we speak or move into action. A lot of us react instead of being still and knowing He is God and He is in control. We let our flesh lead us instead of the Holy Spirit.
vs 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. And those who love it will eat its fruit.
* What seeds am I sowing in my heart and life? I will be able to tell by the kind of words I speak. Do I speak the truth in love? Or am I sarcastic and crass? Do I build people up and encourage them? Or do I gossip about people and slander them? Am I sowing seeds of love and sweetness or am I sowing seeds of anger and bitterness? My words will be my fruit. Whatever is hidden in my heart will come out in my speech. Isn't that a scary thought? And I want to be producing good, wholesome, nourishing and edible pieces of fruit, not rotten, wormy, and decaying fruit.
vs 22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.
*I hope I can be the kind of wife this verse speaks about! I want to bring favor and blessing to my husband. I do not want to be a curse to him!
vs 24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
*Today I took my kids to the party gym. It is a great place to make new friends and play and jump with new toys. There is a huge indoor slide, lots of climbing equipment and a huge ball area where the kids can jump into and play. I noticed that Mark is still in his stage of playing along side children and maybe waving as they pass by (18 months) but my Julia runs up to every child and says, "What's your name?" If they don't answer she runs up to the parent and asks, "What's her name?" She hugs every baby she sees and helps everyone up the steps. She is FRIENDLY! And when we leave she has already made 5-6 friends and talks about them the entire ride home, today she met a Sophia, a Gia, a Morgan, a Nicholas, etc! She had a ball! And that's how we should all be, we shouldn't put our walls up or be afraid or intimidated by people. People are people. And we all want to be loved and made to feel special.
Have a great week guys! Thanks for walking with me! Isn't God's Word great???
Wonderful post :) It is so true about friends, and how we need to let down our walls. Love you!
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