Friendship is a necessity of life. No one can live well without good companionship. Problems happen when we don’t choose friends wisely. We need to choose friends who seek Biblical wisdom and will help us do the same.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the wisdom that comes from Your Word. Please help me to walk with wise people and encourage wisdom in those with whom I interact. Your way is the only way worth living.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
God’s Word is so important. This is communication directly from the hand and heart of Almighty God. He loves us so much that He provided all we need for life (2 Peter 1:3). Obeying God’s Word does not mean life will be easy. However, working on obedience is like building a muscle. The more we work, the stronger we become.
I think we get tripped up by our feelings in this area. We don’t feel good about obedience or things don’t turn out the way we hope. We need to keep working on building obedience as God commands. We will be rewarded.
Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to obey as You command. Thank You for the rewards You provide. Please help us to wait on You in our obedience.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I have noticed how easy it is to complain. I think that has always been an issue, but it has been even more prevalent in the last two and half years. I know I should thank and praise the Lord more than I do, but sometimes it feels awkward. I want to work on changing that.
There is great wisdom in praising and thanking God. He has given so many good gifts. If you don’t know what they are, read the Bible.
Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Who You are and the many wonderful things You have done. Thank You for the gift of salvation, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and Your Word that gives so much insight for life.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I know I have made several posts about the truth. We live in a time when people want to make truth relative. Thankfully, God has defined truth according to His own character.
Proverbs frequently talks about the righteous and their behavior. Hating lies should be an easy one to identify. However, even those of us who follow Christ can have blind spots. A blind spot shows a lack of knowledge of the truth. Thankfully God has made it possible to see through the lens of His Word and those who faithfully teach it.
Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to identify the blind spots in my life. Please guide me to the truth in Your Word so I can live in a way that honors You.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I often ask why work has to be so hard. The fact that we live in a sin cursed earth with sinners makes life hard. That being said, work is still worthwhile. Proverbs tells us the satisfaction we can get from work. This doesn’t mean we will feel good all the time, but the long-term benefits are clear. We will have plenty. The opposite might seem like an easier path but getting nothing doesn’t seem like a good alternative.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the provision of work. Please help me to put appropriate effort into work. I want the riches that You supply.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Truthful lips endure forever,
Proverbs 12:19-20, 22
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.
The Lord detests lying lips,
but He delights in people who are trustworthy.
We face many lies in society and sadly sometimes in the church today. Some are more obvious than others. I was listening to a podcast recently that talked about lies and slander. The comment was made that compliments given via manipulation are really lies. We need to have honest motives behind everything we do.
I need to continue to take myself back to Scripture to see what God has for me. As I pray and humble myself before God, He will guide me towards truth. I will be more equipped to recognize lies and better prepared to handle the challenges surrounding the lies.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the truth in Your Word. Please guide me to truth every day in every interaction. I want to be a beacon of truth. Please help me to encourage others to do the same.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
We live in a society of “do it your way”. People talk about “your truth vs. my truth.” The Bible tells us that only fools follow their own way. When it comes to advice, we find what we want to hear. Those who know Jesus Christ have the ministry of the Holy Spirit to guide them to wisdom. We have the discernment to know wise counsel. I hope to keep learning what God wants and look less at what I want.
Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to continue to seek your way. I want true wisdom and wise counsel.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I have often thought about when to speak up and when to be quiet. I think we prefer the speaking side of that discussion. Proverbs gives us a view of when talking isn’t good. If the evil man would keep his mouth shut, he would be better off. On the flip side the innocent don’t have trouble. It makes me wonder what they have or haven’t said.
Verse 14 talks about working and enjoying the results of that hard work. I think some of that hard work is related to figuring out when and how to speak. Reading God’s Word and praying are two tools I use to help me in that area.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You again for the wisdom in Your Word. Please guide my words that I might be Your tool to draw others closer to You.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
After reading this verse the first time, I thought that this has an obvious message. While the message is plainly stated I wondered what “worthless pursuits” would be. Too often appropriate activities become worthless pursuits when we let them become more important than God. We need to consistently work on our priorities.
Hard work provides for our needs. Focusing on God shows wisdom. A win-win situation.
Dear Heavenly Father, please help me to set priorities that honor You. Please help me to be good example of the provisions hard work brings. Thank You for all You do.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
I know in many settings (frequently with children), the word stupid has been outlawed. I understand. I still remember as a child giving and receiving that word in hurtful ways. While the word can be abused, I think we need to seek to use the word stupid in its proper context.
Proverbs 12:1 tells us that “he who hates reproof is stupid”. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary stupid means “given to unintelligent decisions or acts: acting in an unintelligent or careless manner” and “lacking intelligence or reason”.
Discipline is not fun (Hebrews 12:11). However, the Bible tells us that the love of discipline is the love of knowledge. Discipline is a teaching tool. We need to be willing to learn what sin issues are in our lives. We need to be willing to make changes.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for providing discipline to help us change our lives. Please help us to encourage one another towards wisdom and knowledge.
I pray this in Jesus’ name.
God is so good.
Pleading in Prayer 