Pr. 4 [The Message]

Bill Gothard explained that wisdom is true insight into the nature of things (God’s Word) and understanding is the application of wisdom to life.

The Proverbs are a Christian on his feet navigating life. They help us apply God’s Ways to our daily living.

For instance, wisdom is knowing how to identify an immoral woman and understanding is learning how to avoid being defiled by her.

Pr. 3:27, 28 [The Message]

Never walk away from someone who deserves help;
    your hand is God’s hand for that person.
Don’t tell your neighbor “Maybe some other time”
    or “Try me tomorrow”
    when the money’s right there in your pocket.

Every needy person we meet provides a chance for us to be God’s Hand extended. If every Christian took up this challenge and opportunity, there would be much less poverty and indigent people on our streets.

Yes, there are people who are “pros” at wringing cash out of you, so it’s not wise to pour money down a bottomless pit. God’s Word gives further clarification saying, “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” [2 Thess. 3:10]

He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him. [Pr. 19:17]

Ps. 149, 150; Proverbs 1-3 [The Message]

Eugene Peterson paraphrases that God’s voice is in everything you do. You might hear, “NEVER do that again,” or, “YES, this is the best path for your life.”

Life teaches us many lessons. The wise man is always trying to discern the truth or message in all of life’s activities. In that sense, your bad experiences can be teachers, preparing you for the future. It’s called the “Empirical method of learning.” Failure becomes your teacher.

Where do you get good judgement? From bad.

Ps. 147, 148 [The Message]

For the relatively little we give back to God, our praise is not too much to ask for. Yet, it is one of the few things He wants and is willing to dole out blessings when He gets it.

I have endeavored to live a life of praise. In my earlier years, I would sing through 5 Psalms and a Proverb every morning, often to the top of my lungs. I developed a strong voice that way. My praises are all bottled up in Heaven. Also, they are reverberating out in the universe somewhere. Sound never really stops. How will you respond to His request? Go ahead and get busy.

For all God gives us, it’s very little in return for us to devote our praise to Him.

Ps. 146 [The Message]

In my neighborhood growing up, we chose up sides when we played football, baseball,or basketball at the park. The best players were chosen first, and the undesirables went last. Gym class dodge ball was another venue where this happened. If your were a captain, you needed to get some good, early picks to have a chance to win.

Guess what!? God is ALWAYS on your side. When you enter battle, You have the Winner with you. As long as you put Him first in your life, He will put you first. You can have a tremendous confidence from day to day, regardless of what confronts you.

When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. [Pr. 16:7]

Ps. 140-145 [The Message]

Love is God’s trademark. It’s branded into every thing He does. Nothing He does is without it.

Love is giving. Love is kind. Love has manners. Love can put up with anything. Love sees what you can become and doesn’t hold your past against you. Love understands how you really feel. Love will overcome all adversity to yield a positive outcome. Love is so much more than a positive feeling – it always does the RIGHT THING regardless of how it feels. Love is so much more than a mere emotion.

Ps. 138, 139 [The Message]

We don’t really understand it … we just have to take the Word for what it says … God sees the future.

The past and the present, we can get a grip. But to know that God already sees and knows the future is out of our wheelhouse. Yet, this Psalm gives insight into God amazing ability to see and know the future.

How He does it and how it works can’t be explained by ANYTHING but scripture. Hence, we gain some understanding by reading this Psalm.

God loves books. He especially loves the Lamb’s Book of Life. God can turn the pages back, look at today, and then flip to a time in the future by merely looking ahead. (This is my personal take on it. it helps me grasp the phenomena)

Ps. 137 [The Message]

Imagine how the Hebrews must have felt to see their homeland burned and pillaged by the Babylonians. This was The Promised Land that God had given to them. He empowered them to force out the heathen inhabitants. Now, a whole new set of heathen were burning their Holy City, displacing them and hauling the choicest off into captivity. The Babylonians mocked them, sarcastically encouraging them to sing one of the famous Songs of Zion. Why all this? Because they forgot God and worshiped other Gods and forsook His Commandments. Interesting.

Is this not the moral climate of OUR NATION. We wonder why the U.S. is quickly adopting laws and patterns of depravity (LGBTQ, abortion, racism, rioting in the streets, rampant open theft etc.)

God had solutions available, but there was some suffering to be endured.

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. [2 Chron. 7:14]

Ps 136 [The Message]

This Psalm lines up with 1 Cor. 13. Love NEVER FAILS.

Of all the character qualities and characteristics of God, this is the primary flavor of His nature.

Full of God? Full of relentless, unconditional love. That’s our benchmark.

Ps. 133-135 [The Message]

I’ve heard it preached that Satan controls the weather. Not so according to Ps. 135:5-7.

Satan is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air.” Consistently in Bible translations and paraphrases, it refers to the unseen realm of spiritual reality. Eph. 3:10 and 6:12 speak of evil spiritual powers in heavenly places, over which Christ is “far above.” [Eph. 1:21]

When talking about the weather and Who controls it, pray to God.

Years ago, I remember farmers in our church who testified that critical rains for harvest growth fell on their property and avoided their ungodly neighbor. Just sayin’.