OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 10

Proverbs 10:1-32

10:1 Our behavior affects other people. When it is really difficult to choose to respond wisely to a situation, we should consider how our choices will impact the people close to us. Foolish behavior is more than self-destructive but wisdom can benefit the whole.

10:2 Greed and other desires cause us to become desperate and hopeless, weary and possibly even corrupted from constant temptation. Such a life is not life but slavery. God explains that we do not have to live that way. When we choose God as the authority and provider of our lives, submitting ourselves to righteousness, He ensures that our soul is satisfied. 

10:3 The provision of God is substantial and thorough and constant. God knows what we need, better than we do, and it is His pleasure to provide it. When we focus on a life of righteousness, God ensures that every part of our lives is filled with things, people, relationships, joys and other blessings that don't just temporarily fill our desire but actually fulfill our lives.

God is always going to provide for the righteous, but the desire of the wicked is cast away from Him. God will be present and active in our lives when we reject and eject negative behavior from our lives.

10:4-5 It does not benefit a person to be lazy or apathetic. We were made with brains, bodies and souls in order to be diligent. Those who are physically and mentally able must be productive. It is bad for the brain, body and soul to be inactive. God is always working for our benefit; we should emulate our Father and continually work for the benefit of our family.

God has given each of His children gifts or skills; with our gifts and/or skills we are meant to impact humanity in our little corner of the earth. We are meant to think, interact, create, befriend, support. Our souls thrive when we allow them to exercise.

10:6-7 There are not benefits to being unkind or unjust. The universe has been designed by God to produce what has been sowed. To sow, or do, corrupt things is to tarnish one's own life. But to live righteously is the cultivate and harvest blessings. 

10:8-9 A wise person understands the value of listening. Foolish people, self-righteous and overconfident, miss and ruin opportunities. It is better not to constantly be the one talking and spewing supposed-knowledge. Everyone, everywhere has something to learn from every person and every place. That is why God charges us to be diligent and vigilant, because life is a constant series of lessons that if listened to, increase our ability to thrive here.

10:10 People who are honorable, truthful, just, and kind are made secure by God. When we walk with God, we have God as our strength. But if we are living arrogantly or ignorantly, we cause ourselves to stumble (too caught up in ourselves to notice bumps and dips and cliffs). We have to be humble listeners in order to observe the ways we can improve our behavior and reactions and choices; otherwise we may not aware when we are ruining (or deflecting) good things in our lives.

10:11 Righteous people are lead by God into places of hope and inspiration, opportunity and creativity. So many elements of life are opened to the children who follow God to their doors.

But from the wicked come only violent words and harmful circumstances.

10:12 Hate is a useless and destructive emotion. But through love all things are healed. God does not want us to live destructively, constantly in strife and tumult. Even when we must move away from a person or situation, He teaches us to do so with a peaceful heart. We should let things that need to go go, and to allow (and look forward to) God filling that space with something healthier. 

10:13 When we understand that the way of life is righteousness, we have wisdom. But those who do not live righteously have no understanding and it causes them to require discipline, a tough-love instruction on the manner in which they should be living. However it is not punishment that God implements, rather it is consequence that are behavior produces. But God is able to get us through all of it when we begin to listen to and follow Him.

10:14 Wise people enjoy learning, and consider the things that they learn to be treasures they gratefully keep. But foolish people destroy the good things they have in their lives, rather than preserve and grow them.

10:15 We must be aware of not only what we are doing but also of what we are not doing that we should be. Success in one area of life is not actually successful if it causes another area of live harm.

10:16 Each person must ask themselves: am I working for the world or am I working within the kingdom of God? It is a question of priorities and values. Everything we do should be to advance righteousness and justice in the world. Sometimes that means an honest business or a kind teacher. There are many variations of how each individual can serve the kingdom. Those jobs provide wages (and that is important), but they also give us opportunity to bring righteousness to situations which had little or none. God's children working different jobs around the world plant the kingdom all around the world and in every sector of society.

But to live for wages, especially when they are procured through wicked behavior is sinful.

10:17 Listening to and following God's instruction, daily, allows us to remain on a blessed and productive path. But to refuse correction from God is to ignore Him in times when we walk off of the path. Continually ignoring God's advice causes us to get even more lost as we move through life: causing harm, missing opportunities, feeling hopeless.

10:18 It is not healthy for us to live with hatred under our skin. When we need to be honest, we can be so with God if no one else. When we tell of and explain our emotions to Him, He is able to help us sort them out and solve their original cause. Conversely, some choose to have hatred boiling under them and it only causes them to spread negativity. Thus the healing process cannot commence.

10:19-21 No good comes from blabbering on and on. God wants us to respect the right of speech. To do that, we need to be listeners, thinkers. We need to be patient and observant. When we speak it should have meaning and careful intention. To speak in such a way is to have lips of righteousness and lips of righteousness support and lead others. 

But people who blabber can cause harm and miss important things.

10:22 The wealth we should aspire to in life is the be rich in blessing of the Lord. The blessing of the Lord comes with consistent joy; sorrow and shame and regret become elements of a former life. For God leads us into hope and happiness, gladness and success. 

10:23-25 Evil behavior and choices are destructive. Wealth and satisfaction gained through corrupt means are temporary. Cruel behavior becomes a sport to the foolish and causes one to be caught up in many destructive whirlwinds. 

A righteous person is blessed and secured by God. The hopes and prayers of their hearts are granted by Him.

10:26 When a person does not live righteously, they live lazily. They put no effort into important work like justice and compassion. And such a person is reviled by others.

10:27 Those who follow God are able to walk the everlasting path of life. But the evil wander into permanent non-existence. 

10:28 The hope of the righteous is fulfilled by God. He provides for His children and loves to see them happy and thriving. But the expectations of wicked people are not met. For God ensures that things go smoothly and properly to ensure otherwise-unlikely circumstances. It is God's hand in our lives that makes possible what the world cannot.

10:29 We are strengthened as we move along the path of righteousness. The fruits, the blessings and lessons, along the way make us better, wiser, stronger people. But those who forage in the wilderness of wickedness will not find the fruits they need to truly have life. Corrupt fruits, choices, and behaviors cause one to perish.

10:30 God establishes His righteous children in life and removes the unrighteous from life. 

10:31 God finds ways to give the wise platforms and opportunities to assist others in humble but impactful ways. However the perverse are inevitably thwarted and muted.

10:32 God helps the righteous to discern between good and helpful and bad and harmful. But the wicked say only things which harm.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 9

Proverbs 9:1-18

9:1-6 Wisdom has prepared a way for God's children. When we submit ourselves to His philosophy of life, to righteousness, we realize that the path has been cleared and lighted. Our provision comes through our faith in, and commitment to God. We are called to join the order of the universe, the family that is the kingdom of God.

9:7-9 God does need us to preach to people who do not want to hear it. Our lives speak a loud testimony; we do not have to lecture people who do not want to listen. God wants His people to want to learn and grow. The better method is for us to separate ourselves from behavior that is contrary to God. Our rejection of poor behavior will inspire people to change better than an argument.

9:10-11 After all, we read that wisdom begins with the fear/reverence of God. We cannot be wise until we recognize and accept Him as our teacher. We cannot have understanding or knowledge until we are willing to listen and learn. We cannot reap the benefits of blessings until we begin to sow in the classroom with God. In time with God in scripture and reflection.

9:12 We are not wise until we realize that... we are not wise. God is wise. And therefore it is wise to listen to Him, to follow Him, to emulate Him.

9:13-18 Temptation sings a sweet song to people who are foolish enough to respond to it. God wants us to be wiser than that. He wants us to recognize when something looks or sounds or seems good but actually is harmful. By listening to God's life advice, we are better able to discern between the two. He trains us to recognize traps and holes and prisons in order that we never walk into them.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 8

Proverbs 8:1-36

8:1-11 It is the natural order of the earth that righteousness is the current of life. Our natural surroundings speak of the order God has established: a delicate balance of the proliferation of life. For those who determine to seek wisdom above worldliness, wisdom is not difficult to find. 

8:12-21 The beginning of wisdom is to fear/revere the Lord. To fear/revere the Lord is to hate evil. Therefore, by submitting to God, we already we begin with a basis for justice and righteousness. God teaches us to value humility and selflessness, the need and ability to learn and how to discern between helpful and harmful.

Strength and counsel should come from God. He is our sturdiness source of courage and power. His instruction is our wisest source of direction. Wealth and fruit are in His kingdom. When we submit to God, the storehouses of blessings are thrown open and we are invited to enter. We must reject evil to be permitted. A cruel or arrogant person is too ignorant to notice the righteous, self-less path and therefore can neither see nor enter into the kingdom.

8:22-31 God established the wisdom of righteousness before He even created the earth. Compassion was not an afterthought-concept. He made earth and souls with righteousness as the natural order. With the wisdom of righteousness, God created a beautiful and complex biosphere; He established a place and a portion for each of His created.

8:32-36 God's promise to us is that those who keep His ways will be blessed. Living in accordance with God's will is the exist alongside blessing. Therefore listen and utilize the wisdom God teaches; delight in God and in the act of learning.

We are encouraged to be vigilant and conscientious; watching for injustices and active in abolishing them. Be attentive at the gate, at the door of the kingdom for the door opens into deep and brilliant life and love of God.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 7

Proverbs 7:1-27

7:1-4 God wants us to value wisdom and understanding. He does not want us to be brainless-obedient creatures, He wants us to listen to Him, learn and grow. He wants us to link our souls with the wisdom He has threaded into the world. He wants us to see purpose and meaning in every situation, conversation and person. He wants us to use what He teaches us; when we apply scripture to practical life, we sow blessings for others and reap blessings for ourselves.

7:5 When scripture speaks about adultery, it is a metaphor for unfaithfulness to God. Much of the book of Proverbs teaches us to cultivate a steadfast relationship with God rather than a disloyal one. Once we establish a relationship with God, we must be careful to remain committed to its health. We cannot abandon what He has taught us or put our trust in other things or people. 

7:6-9 When we live without God's instruction, we are easily lured into situations that are harmful to us. He helps us to discern between helpful and harmful situations, even at onset. 

7:10-23 For in the darkness of ignorance, arrogance or neglect of God's word, there is always something waiting for us. Anger will take over, perhaps desire or greed. We enter into situations and relationships and behavior that makes our life less enjoyable and more difficult.

God wants us to be spiritually alert because temptation will always be dressed up deceptively. Humans are often negatively influenced without realization. Things that only seem beautiful and enticing actually lead us into snares. In the chaos of anger, greed, and desire we lose our path and neglect our purpose. We lose our lives because we traded all of our good opportunity for worldly gain.

7:24-27 Therefore we must train ourselves to keep scripture close. We must train ourselves to constantly communicate with God and seek His counsel before we make our own decisions. We must be vigilant not to stray off of the righteous, humble, lighted path of God. For in darkness and ignorance and arrogance we cannot thrive.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 6

Proverbs 6:1-35

6:1-5 Proverbs cautions us against linking ourselves with people who have philosophies of life that negate or oppose the one God has taught us. This piece of scripture uses the word stranger or "zur" which is not your typical use of stranger. The type of stranger that is mentioned here is the person whose religious or spiritual beliefs are strange/different from God's word. 

 We are cautioned because while there is difference of opinion in the world, and we will always have friends and family who do believe differently from us, we cannot support harmful doctrines. We should not support corrupt beliefs; and if we find ourselves in a position where we are linked with them, we must humble ourselves and leave it without delay.

6:6-11 Rather than a lazy "sluggard" we are encouraged to be like the tireless ants. Constantly working with motivation toward purpose. Examples of God's instruction can indeed be seen in nature: ants work for the whole as individuals. Instead of sleeping, that is: wasting our lives lazily, we must be motivated to learn and grow and thus store up good wisdom for the times we need it. 

For when we have worked hard, we are prepared. And when we are prepared, we are not caught off guard by tumultuous winds or changes in our lives. 

6:12-15 Be careful not to live as a worthless person. A worthless person is a wicked person, someone who causes harm or difficultly to others. God does not want us to be lazy, superficial people. He loves us and to Him we have so much worth. But we waste it all when our behavior harms (or neglects to help) others. We waste our opportunity to influence and impact humanity when we live without purpose or good-intention.

6:16-19 Listed here are six things God hates: a proud look; a lying tongue; hands that shed innocent blood; hearts that devise wicked plans; feet that are swift in running to evil; and liars. And God finds it abomination to cause trouble between people. A more in-depth study of this can be found here.

6:20-23 Listen to people who have wisdom through experience; always match their opinion with God's word. If they are in alignment, it is good advice. But we should train ourselves to listen and observe; it is our most valuable learning tool... and lowest likelihood of error. When we keep God's instruction inside of us, we will never be without it, even when life takes us down uncharted paths. 

God's instruction is our protection, path, and lighthouse. It encourages us, beckons us and protects us. 

6:24-29 We require God's protection against things which tempt us toward them but are no good for us. He helps us to stay away from acting on vain, angry or greedy thoughts. For corrupt thoughts do not always present themselves as bad, and thus we are more likely to act on them. But when we do, we cause immediate or future problems for ourselves. These verses are like the adage: you can't play with fire and expect not to be burned. God's instruction prevents us from even lighting those harmful fires.

6:30-31 We are asked to have compassion on people who steal to stave off starvation. The theme of this proverb is the metaphor of debt caused by false religion or corrupt doctrine so we must apply it to "starvation." If a person comes back to God's word, or comes to it for the first time after a life of false or corrupt behavior, they are starving for His instruction. They (and all people) are required to give seven-fold (that is: everything, our whole selves) to God's philosophy.

We are not meant to despise people who are new in faith and trying to change and leave former behavior. They (we) must give up all of the old, corrupt things and relationships we obtained to build a new, righteous life. 

6:32-35 Those who commit adultery (spiritually-speaking) will also bring dishonor on themselves. We are God's children, He has claimed us. God wants us to claim Him as our Father; it is painful for Him when we chose other things as idols because those things do not care for us well or deserve us. They are not the reason we have life, God is. 

Nevertheless, those who choose corruption and stay in it will meet inevitable destruction caused by their own choices but ensured by God.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 5

Proverbs 5:1-23

5:1-2 We give our attention to many things during the day; how often do we give our attention to what scripture has to say? Proverbs' emphatic mission is to encourage us to train ourselves to consider God's wisdom throughout our day. God's experience with humanity has enabled Him to give truly good and effective advice. He helps us navigate away from making poor decisions and into making the right ones. In decisions. Relationships. Conversations. Actions. 

5:3-6 Proverbs is vehement to mention that the wrong decisions are often dressed in honey. They sometimes seem like the faster, richer, more satisfying option but will ultimately destroy good things and opportunities. God teaches us to build and recognize strong foundations, so that as we move throughout life, we have stable conditions.

5:7-9 Therefore, listen to what God has to say instead of what temptation has to say. There are things that we want and need but the way to obtain them is through the philosophy of God rather than through the way of the world. God wants us to be patient and kind and brave; He teaches us to build big, complex, rich things steadily over time. 

5:10-14 God teaches us how not to give ourselves over to others' control and ideas. When we declare ourselves as His, we adopt a new lifestyle of freedom from the agenda of others. It's actually dangerous for us to ignore God's advice; rejecting His advice causes us to miss opportunities and to accept the wrong ones, even though they felt right at the time.

5:15-20 To source of courage, inspiration and compassion from the well of God is to be independent of the world and others who do not feed us good things through their influence. Our relationship with God should be steadfast and loyal; when it is we have an everlasting soul-deep nourishment. God wants us to be in love in life rather than in lust in the world. 

God teaches us to recognize false and cheap relationships with things and people. He teaches us to remove those things, that clutter, from our lives to open them up for blessings. 

5:21-23 God watches and knows His people; He has known us since our inception, therefore His experience is invaluable. He has seen it all, every way, and has charted the best course for us. Lack of instruction causes folly and folly iniquity and iniquity the death of the soul. God teaches us to learn and grow and live. 

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 4

Proverbs 4:1-27

4:1 When we turn our ears to God to hear instruction, we do not just turn ourselves to an authority or a counselor or even simply a friend. We turn ourselves to a Father, to a God who has created and loved His children with precision and emphasis. The instruction He gives us is expert advice given by someone with our best interests at heart.

4:2-6 We are urged to follow the doctrine of God, the law He gives, because it is given as protection, inspiration and guidance. We have to learn to trust God when He says no, not yet and even yes to things we might have turned down. We must trust because His wisdom builds the blessing around us we ultimately want. 

4:7-9 Our first priority must be to follow the wisdom of God's will. We only damage ourselves when we rush or resent circumstances that seem not to satisfy our impatience. A life of loving and following God is a life that is secure in the exact place He wants it to be. When our life is on course with God's will, everything we have prayed for is in process. 

Trust in God's wisdom promotes us into better places as better people. Love of God's will develops the honor and grace and glory we think we know how to obtain. By valuing God's wisdom, we gain an understanding of life that prevents us from wasting our lives. We learn how to live with purpose and compassion within the protective wings of God.

4:10-13 Live a life of prayer. Allow God to speak and respond to you throughout the day, and care for you even as you sleep. When our line of communication is so open, so constantly, God is able to direct all of our steps on the right paths. When we need to make a decision and even when we do not, meditation on Him and His word will help us come to peaceful solutions and inspired ideas. 

God's advice, throughout the day, is spoken to each of us in subtle yet intimate and definite ways. Because He loves us, He wants us to cling to Him, our best protection. He will help us navigate life and avoid the bumps that cause us to stumble. Over time, our love for Him develops so much that He becomes our life. The life within us, the reason to cherish it. 

4:14-17 What does God consider wicked? Acts which harm others in order to promote selfish desires, temptations and urges. Recognize that temptation is a slave-master and wants us as its slave. Instead, God trains us to live humbly in service of others' needs. When we are so focused on promoting justice and ensuring compassion, God ensures that we are cared for. God takes responsibility of our lives when we commit to loving others well and actively.

To live as a slave to selfish desires and emotions, greed and anger, is to live a life which causes turmoil and injustice. When we live only for ourselves, we neglect the life in on earth that needs what skills and resources we have to share.

4:18 But to live as a child of God is a life lived in light. God is the sun giving us life, the stars that give us inspiration. He is a light that is wisdom. He is a clear and lighted path. He helps us to discern and perceive the good and the bad. 

4:19 But to live in darkness is to be oblivious to the things which mount up and cause our steady destruction. 

4:20-21 That is why it is so important to God that we read Proverbs with intention and commitment. Because it is so important that our ears are attentive to God's voice above all others, that our eyes are fixed on His. God's word must be in our heart, defending it and preventing all of the corruption from entering. 

4:22 Our relationship with God supports our health and well-being. It only makes sense that we could be diligent students of this word. Our relationship with God creates and continues to create new pockets of inspired life within our life: new blessings all of our days.

4:24 God wants us to live with attention and intention. He wants us to be aware of our movements and interactions and ideas so that we can ensure they each align with His word. As we continue to walk along His straight path of righteousness, we are established on earth and in the everlasting kingdom of God. We are reminded that there are distractions in the world and we must not allow them to deter us!

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 3

Proverbs 3:1-35

3:1-2 Proverbs reminds us to remember and keep God's law. That means we read and meditate on scripture every day of our life; for when we are continually submerged in God's word, we are less likely to listen to another's. The reward of keeping scripture close and alive in our lives is a good and peaceful life.

3:3-4 The only way we could ever lose  mercy and truth is if we were the ones to let them go. Therefore God consistently reminds us to keep His word close to our hearts; He wants us to read attentively. The treasure we mine from scripture will cause God and the people around us to esteem for our patience and kindness, truth and wisdom. Because we glean all of those things from God; we cannot help but to grow in character when we spend time with Him.

3:5-6 We must work to develop trust in God. Like any relationship, trust is a process we undertake over time. Trust is important because it is through trust that we are led into the blessings we pray for. We must trust God's instructions and decisions, often rejecting our own or others' plans because we believe that His are smarter.

To trust God is to ensure that each day we make a way for God to speak to us. We must have an open line of communication, time in scripture, and the muting out of the distractions that have other ideas for us. We must ignore messages we receive from media sources about power and celebrity, wealth and revenge. Every thing we do has to reflect how our Father has told us to live. In doing so, we follow His path into the places He has prepared for us. 

3:7-8 If we remain humble, and a constant student of God, we will avoid the mistakes of arrogance. Our reverence of God forces out the evil machinations of others. Evil is repelled by our strong relationship with God because God has promised it would be; therefore our best defense against our fears and enemies is love of our God. God's presence in our life is strength and protection. 

3:9-10 God wishes for us to live compassionately; He wants us to share our time and resources and shoulders with the people in our lives who need them in order to become established or evade injustice. He asks us to love everybody, but to help the people who have nothing. Our blessings have the power to abound; we are given to in order that we may give.

3:11-12 Part of a strong relationship with God is to accept without annoyance His discipline. God corrects us so that we avoid mistakes that harm us and others. He corrects our path when He sees that we are headed toward a place that will harm us. And correction is difficult to be grateful for when we feel shame or guilt but it's important to accept those moments and then change.

We must remember in those times of difficulty that God only corrects us because He loves us. He only ever means to help us and to love us well and attentively.

3:13-17 Happiness saturates the life of a person receptive to God's instruction. With wisdom and understanding, we have a perspective of life and the world that is actually peaceful and productive. Purpose and plan help us have joy. God's children do not scour the world to "find themselves." Having found God, they know exactly who they are. And when we know who we are, children of a loving Father, we know that we are established and necessary in the fabric of life.

13:18 We are nourished throughout life, forever by God when we open ourselves to His instruction. 

3:19-20 It was with knowledge, understanding and wisdom that God created the universe. His intelligence and precision is all around us; it only makes sense to welcome His brilliance into our lives. The work of His hands can do so much more than we ever could.

3:21-24 Proverbs urges us to keep God's wisdom so close to us that it becomes the fuel of our soul. The grace in our lives. God's instruction ensures we have a safe path and a sturdy purpose. We have peace to sleep and inspiration to wake when we allow God to love us... when we love Him.

3:25-26 We have courage and confidence in our God that transpires in our bodies and transforms our lives. God clears away the clutter and debris that choke and thwart and harm.

3:27-30 We are taught to live justly among others. To be wise and fair and compassionate with whatever power and resource we have in our lives. We are told to be honest; to settle matters without deception or delay. We are taught not to create problems or stir up animosity. We must not plot against good people or good things. We are not supposed to create disagreements just to release our frustration or anger. We are supposed to love and protect others... most especially those who are innocent or dependent on us. 

3:31-35 And while much of the world is envious of people who have a lot of power, wealthy or celebrity, obtained by dubious means, we are instructed not to be. God will provide more that we need and everything we want if we stick to His plan. We do not need to use others or succumb to poor or loud behavior to get the things or attention we think we need. God does not want us to let our desires transform us into ugly people. He does not want us to compromise our values or humility to gain the favor of others.

God thwarts the perverse but assists the upright. We have divine assistance when we live righteously, but we go against the current when we do not. We have wisdom that so many do not have because we have sought it from the one source, our Lord. Grace and glory and blessing are given to the righteous. Curse, scorn and shame are the inevitable landing zones of corrupt and foolish behavior.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 2

Proverbs 2:1-22

2:1-5 Our pursuit of God's word must be absolute. When out intentions are wholeheartedly determined we will receive wisdom previously unattainable. But we must search for God's philosophy in life as though searching for treasure. With excitement and hope and determination. God wants us to make righteousness the act and pursuit of our lives. Above all things, He wants us to search for His answer, His opinion, His choice in all that we do. When we search assiduously, we will find Him and His wisdom.

2:6-9 God ensures that those who seek do inevitably find. Knowledge, wisdom and understanding. In other words, He teaches us about life: it's origins, its course, its purpose, its nature. He teaches us how to retain, cultivate, restore and inspire life in our day to day. He stores those treasures for those who seek them, who will value them and wear the treasures of their faith as a crown. 

Those on righteous pursuits have the protection of God along their journey. They have the support and preservation of God. As we continue to walk along God's paths of righteousness, we continue to receive abundant blessing from Him.

2:10-11 God teaches us the purpose and meaning of life and when our heart is in accordance with His we are given further gifts. The gift of discernment helps us to make the decisions that set up future blessings. Discernment helps us to choose what and who to allow into our lives as fixtures and influences. Understanding given by God helps to keep us in good places. For when we understand the whole, it is much easier to operate within it. 

2:12 There are people and even emotions in us that could derail us from the path of righteousness. Humans so easily succumb to acts of jealousy, revenge, anger and selfishness. But when we have our ear fixed on God's instructions, He is able to lead us away from those temptations and distractions.

2:13-19 Proverbs wants us to be wholly aware that we could be derailed... but only if we take our eyes and ears off of our guidepost: God.  Evil may not be out intention, but we could get caught up with people whose intentions are. We are all susceptible to influence, knowing that, we should be extra vigilant to remain within the influence of God. It should be His opinion and favor that we seek. It should be His lead that we follow. It should be His voice that we listen to... even when it seems like other voices are louder and more immediate. Proverbs, as it continues, will help us to recognize those moments when raucous noise attempts to lead us astray.

It is a waste of life to live a selfish, greedy, or angry life. An evil life is ended swiftly and permanently by God. He wants us to be conscious of how our choices change the beat and length of our lives. 

2:20-21 So be good. Be righteous. In every choice, act, relationship and idea. Even when other emotions try to overrule. Let your faithful soul be the authority over your body. Because the righteous reside with God in His kingdom.

2:22 Eventually evil will be uprooted... no longer sustained by God's magnificent creation. Erased. Forever. God wants us to have life and to enjoy it. To have life and to keep it. The book of Proverbs teaches us how to do that.

OT: The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 1

Proverbs 1:1-33

The book of Proverbs presents life as a journey comprised of choice. It explains that the choices we make impact our character, and our how our character then impacts our life. The original name of the book of Proverbs is "Mashal" meaning: comparison; for the book of Proverbs presents its information in "this or that" form. It is up to the student to decide which route to take.

1:1-6 The purpose of the psalms is for the reader to learn wisdom by taking instruction. The instruction teaches perception that leads to understanding. And understanding is meant to teach a person to be just, use discernment and to live fairly. The book of Proverbs is equipped to teach to as-yet unwise, and to give prudence to them. No matter what level of wisdom or common sense a person has, proverbs will teach more. Proverbs helps to un-knot the frustration of a sometimes chaotic world or tumultuous soul. 

1:7 The first step in becoming a student of wisdom, philosophy of God, is the reverence of God who holds all wisdom and has decided what wisdom is. It would be foolish to reject instruction or to neglect to learn for wisdom is precious in that it is productive and useful.

1:8-9 It is often the case that one's own parents are best able to provide wisdom learned from experience. Not only are our parents most familiar with our character and circumstances, but they likely grew up in similar socio-economic and cultural conditions. Of course there are always exceptions (orphaned, neglect, abandonment), however for many of us, our parents advice is relevant and useful. Proverbs tells us to listen to their advice.

Generally, parents care about the outcome of your life. And although their advice will never be perfect, it is given with good intention and experience and is therefore more than worthy of our attention and reflection. Proverbs tells us that the instruction of our father and law of our mother will be beneficial to us, if only to make us more perceptive, aware or practical in thought.

1:10-19 God wants us to understand that temptation and sin will try to entice us. The urges and emotions of the body will bend toward anger, lust, greed and other things that will only distract or harm us. Proverbs warns us to that we can take a preemptive strike against such enticement.

We have to take the advice of Proverbs and apply it to our everyday life, because chances are, we are not going to outright recognize a "sinner" who "lurks" around the "innocent" in order to "shed blood"; and probably neither will we recognize when a person's intention is to "swallow us alive."

Proverbs wants us to learn to be alert that such people are out there (in a metaphorical sense). Therefore God wants us to be perceptive and to recognize when a person's intention is in alignment with His word and when it is not. Some people desire possession and control and will use us or anything in our path to acquire those things. But God has taught us to value the humble and the meek who often look much less impressive.

We must associate with all people (it's nearly impossible not to). And God wants us to be fair and prayerful to all of the them. But we do not have to bind ourselves to all people. We can, and should be, selective with who we allow into the more impactful areas of our lives. We must start to observe the people who are urging us to join dubious ventures versus those encouraging us to make beneficial impacts.

Proverbs provides the upshot of the former choice: it leads to death. Death of the soul, the character and the body. A selfish life will only lead to joyless death.

1:20-21 Listen to and use your conscious. Wisdom calls aloud to all of us, do not block her out. God provided a built-in system of wisdom. We may not always know the right choice but we often feel the wrong one.

1:22 How long, Proverbs asks, will we neglect that voice? Those feelings? In those moments, wisdom is speaking directly to us, inviting us into the classroom of right and wrong. Only a foolish person would neglect the lecture in that classroom, for wisdom's intention is always to help us.

1:23-27 Proverbs encourages us to hear and take the rebuke of the wisdom speaking to us through our conscious. It's never easy to receive discipline but we must learn to if we wish to grow in character and more readily discern the right choices in our lives that lead us to God's blessings.

Once we open ourselves to wisdom, God pours His spirit into us. Masterfully, obviously, subtly, He teaches us new and more enhanced forms of perception and wisdom and understanding. 

So much of the world refuses to listen. Disregards the chance to learn and change because it requires that we deny the temptations in our minds and bodies. But that refusal and disregard is harmful to our lives. It causes calamity and terror, storms and winds we cannot endure. Ultimately, the refusal to grow in character leads to our distress and then anguished destruction.

Proverbs wants us to understand that saying "yes" in the moment to a temptation can ultimately slap a big, fat "no" on a future, more important moment. Therefore we must learn from wisdom how to respond to those little moments in every day life in order to set ourselves up for the bigger picture. It is contrary to the worldly "wisdom" of the secular world, but God's wisdom is the way to the life we want, dream of and hope for.

1:28-30 Listen now, wisdom beckons, because a lifetime of neglect might shut one out completely. We must listen and learn now, before we become too hardened, too stubborn to learn. Take the counsel now, cherish the rebuke, for God is molding a masterpiece. Don't stay a clump of clay. Allow God to turn you into a tool, and instrument, a soul capable of great purpose and impact on humanity.

1:31-33 We grow the food we eat. We reap what we sow. The life we make is the life we have. God does not want us to be stuck in a mess because we made a mess. In order to have order, we need to listen to Him. In order to not slay ourselves with our own poor choices and foolishness, we need to allow God to discipline those harmful qualities out and away from us.

Complacent will destroy us. Our minds and souls are meant to be stretched, grown, evolved, inspired, taught. Taught, not taut. Because a taut mind will destroy us. Stubbornness, selfishness, arrogance, closed-mindedness all lead to a dried up, useless mind. We need to be students of wisdom, constantly inspired to learn more, hungry for more of the unlimited knowledge of God. We need to learn to love more deeply, reach more widely, strive further, think bigger, give more... such ventures along the path of God are secure places to constantly grow, safely, without fear of evil.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 150

Psalm 150:1-6

150:1 We live and praise God wherever we are on the earth.

150:2 We praise Him because His acts are mighty in power and compassion.

150:3-5 In the style of David, we praise with sound that reverberates our great affection for God and gratitude for what He has done for us.

150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 149

Psalm 149:1-9

149:1 Keep praise new and fresh. God is alive and active in our every day and our praise should reflect that. Our faith should be as deep and inspired as God's active love for us is. 

149:2-4 Remember to rejoice in our creator; our whole bodies and souls are systems of miracles propelling us through the miracle of life. Sing and dance for the God whose pleasure is in His people. He cares about us, and that is a blessing worthy of praise. We put humility into our hearts and He puts beauty into our lives. 

149:5-9 Live with joy; fall asleep with joy. And gratitude. Praise in our mouths and the two-edged sword, which is the word and will of God in our hands. With each, we will navigate life joyfully and justly. God's intention is to strengthen us for the purpose of perpetuating justice around the earth.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 148

Psalm 148:1-14

148:1-4 A call to praise. Nature and humanity alike. 

148:5-6 A call to praise the One who created us all and established life and righteousness for eternity.

148:7-12 A call to praise all of the elements and animals of the world, the trees, the young and the old.

148:13-14 All are called to praise the only name worthy of exaltation. We are called, those of us who are near to Him, to praise our loving Father.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 147

Psalm 147:1-20

147:1 A reminder to celebrate our beautiful God. The act of praise is beautiful in that it is restorative and a reinforcement of our relationship with God. 

147:2-3 God takes a broken and fragmented person(s) and gathers them back together. He re-grows and strengthens the spirit and character so that we are made new by His skill, love and attention. 

147:4 It is easy to take for granted how particular our God is; He takes stock of every piece of creation. He has a name for everything. He keeps track and loves all of the life made by His hand. 

147:5-6 He is powerful, understanding, infinite, supportive and protective. And all of His qualities are offered to us. 

147:7-9 Therefore we sing with gratitude. We praise Him for His love and protection. We live in reverence of all of His creation: grasses, mountains, animals. He intricately designed everything on our earth. He designed the system of science that sustains our lives. 

147:10-11 The only thing God is proud of is a humble, righteous soul. He is not impressed by animal or man. He delights in mercy and acts done in accordance with His will. For His will is compassion, justice, truth. God cares about how we treat people and animals and all of creation. He values the king and righteous because they love and help others.

147:12-14 This psalm reminds us to thank God for the things we have and probably take for granted. He is our defense and strength. He has our posterity in mind. 

147:15-18 God is always blessing us. He deflects problems before we even see them on the horizon. His word is alive around the earth; to join in accordance with God's will is to join in the natural order of the universe. 

147:19-20 This scripture has been left for us. The more familiar we are with His word, the more wisely and smoothly we will live. For God's word is a path that leads us, continually, into blessing.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 146

Psalms 146:1-10

146:1-2 While we live, we will use our time heart beats to praise the Lord. Deep, authentic love for God takes over our lives the more we listen to Him, learn from Him and submit to His will. Everything else comes secondary to our praise of the Lord. 

146:3-4 The Psalmist reminds us to put our trust in God, not in a person or a thing. Not only because God is trustworthy but because those things cause harm rather than help. Only God has our best interests in mind. Only He knows the path we should take and how, precisely, we should chart it. 

146:5-6 God's children are happy. That emotion the rest of the world is chasing and searching for, we already have. God creates and sustains full joy in us that absorbs the anxiety and dismantles the fear. He inspires and brightens our hope. He created our beautiful earth and as we submit to His will, we join in its natural peace. We benefit from God's natural truth. 

146:7 God's attention and effort is on the oppressed, the hungry and the imprisoned. No matter who oppresses us, what lack we have, or the type of prison we are in, God changes our circumstances. 

146:8-9 He gives us new eyes, new perspective to live life more: righteously, compassionately, productively. He is able to raise the humble and obedient to Him because we follow Him into wisdom and opportunity. He loves to lead us because He loves us, no matter how downtrodden or unknown we are in the world. The lonely, fatherless, widows, orphans... all are God's specialty. He searches for children who pray to receive healing from Him.

146:10 The Lord shall reign forever... He is determined, solid, committed. Praise the  Lord.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 145

Psalm 145:1-21

145:1-3 We should make these spiritual proclamations to God in our lives too: 

I will extol you, my God, my King

I will bless Your name forever and ever 

Every day I will praise

And we make these proclamations because God is great to us, and a beautiful spirit. His compassion and wisdom, and power is boundless. God's love for us is without limits, and therefore so should our praise be. 

145:4-7 We should carry His name to our prosperity so that His glory is acknowledged on the earth at all times. We should carry on this scripture so that generations of people know they can access a bounty of love and compassion through a relationship with God. We should make a commitment to sing and praise and speak in honor of our beautiful, good, righteous God. 

145:8-9 God is our Creator, Father, Friend, Counselor, Leader, Love who is full of compassion, mercy and forgiveness. He is generous with every good quality He has. He is tender and active in our day-to-day lives. 

145:10-13 All of creation is grateful to its Creator. In Luke 19:39-40 Jesus explained that if the disciples were silent, the rocks would cry out in praise of God. It is the natural inclination of righteous souls to love Him. So we speak of His power as He moves mountains in our lives. Since His kingdom is everlasting, so our praise of Him will be. 

145:14-16 One of the most special things about our God is that he cares for the weak and lowly. He loves to raise up, heal and support His children. He loves when we love Him like children, Matthew 18:3. He loves when we look expectantly to Him. When we trust Him so much that when in doubt, awe, love, trust or any other circumstance or emotion, we look to Him for answers. For confirmation. For encouragement. For the go or no. 

We benefit so much from being entirely dependent on God. He is our provider and the more we we trust Him to provide, the better supplied and sustained we are in life and spirit. We should go, always, to the storehouses provided by our Father and faith. He knows best what we need and He is best able to provide it. 

145:17-21 God is righteous in all ways. Gracious in all works. Near to all who ask Him to be. When faith is authentic, we can count on God's presence. He hears and answers and saves. He preserves. And the wicked He brings to an end. He protects us by planning their their destruction. 

He cares about our prayers and is happy to fulfill them. He does fulfill them. He heals us and preserves us out of not just love but skill. So we praise our holy Lord forever and ever.

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 144

Psalm 144:1-15

144:1 This is a Psalm of David and it is important to remember that David was a soldier, in a sense, for the kingdom of Israel. In this Psalm, he is thankful to God who trained him for war. It was necessary for Israel to defend itself and to bring evil and corruption to destruction. David did not take for granted the strength and skill God blessed him with to keep the people safe from dangerous enemies.

144:2 A list of things God becomes for us: love, kindness, protection, home, perspective, deliverer, defender, haven, soldier, upholder. God does many things for each of His children. He is able to provide so much in our lives that we lack nothing. Whatever need we have, He will fill. 

144:3-4 It was precious to David that humanity could garner the attention of God, the affection of God. We are small and weak yet we have the love of our big, strong God. David highlights once again that God is compassionate and gentle.

144:5-8 In a place of fear, David reflected on the power of God and prayed for it to find him and rescue him. David knew that the whole earth responded to God's authority. David's affirmations reminds us to have our own. Our God can change the landscape, literal and metaphorically in our lives. He responds to our calls... we need only to call.

144:9-10 We keep our praise of God vibrant and fresh. Continually renewed and strengthened by awe and gratitude for what God does in our lives. Fresh worship and love keep us productive in faith and life and hopeful and joyful in spirit. Our God also deserves for our praise and love of Him to be deep and new each day because He is constantly working deep, new things in our hearts and lives. His protection and salvation allowed David to live and persevere and the same is done for us.

144:11-15 David prayed for the strength of the people of God's kingdom for their posterity. David thought forward for humanity. He knew that all acts of righteousness are for the individuals involved but also the greater picture. We can could on increase and blessing from God when we trust in Him and live according to His will.

"Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!"

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 143

143:1-12

143:1 In our one-on-one conversations with God, we can pray for His attentiveness. We have God's full attention, and in that space, we can draw His attention to the details of the parts of our lives we need Him most. God will be faithful to answer, He waits only for us to ask of Him the things He has promised to supply.

143:2 The Psalmist was also careful to mention his own imperfection. We cannot compare with God's righteousness, which is absolute, without flaw and constant. But actually we should not fear God's judgement. God is our parent and His discipline is what most benefits our character. He always deals in love, sometimes tough love, but it is meant to retrain us into better, strong, wiser people.

143:3-4 But in the moments when we feel the enemy or the world is unfairly judging us, we can pray for God's presence and rule. It is God's opinion of us that truly matters. People and circumstance sometimes overwhelm us but we have God to turn to for peace and order. We have the hope and compassion of God to restore us from states of distress.

143:5 To remain connected with this faith which provides us so much, we remember God's faithful and powerful journey with humanity. We remember and soak in His instruction and philosophy for life because it leads and heals us. We consider the work of God's hands because it reminds us of the precision and beauty He is capable of working in the earth. 

The things which are impossible for us  are unattainable. But God's brushstrokes are the impossible; impossible is His tool and His creation. He enables us to attain the the previously impossible.

143:6 Therefore we spread our hands, our hearts, our minds, our souls, our bodies before the Lord. Our whole Spirit longs for Him for He is the sustenance we were never able to attain; the sustenance that completely fills us with what we truly need.

143:7 We pray for God's presence because He is our life source; we cannot exist without Him. We cannot persist without Him. Fear, temptation, and frustration lead us into a pit. We need faith and hope and love from God to keep us on safe, holy ground.

143:8 Notice that the Psalmist prays for God to be with him in the morning. Our first priority of every day should be to have and keep the will of God. Faith should be the first place our mind wanders to as it awakens. The more we delve into scripture and into trust of God, the more naturally that happens.

Begin everyday following God into the places, conversations, opportunities and relationships He wants us to be in.

143:9-10 Pray for God to be the shelter. Many people have many vices but none of them are able to protect or satisfy. Only faith can do that. Therefore we pray to be taught by God. We pray to know His will so that we will recognize it and thus be able to follow it. Our God is good, and we wish to be led into that righteousness. 

143:11-12 Wearied by the world, we pray for God to revive us: to put continual hope in our hearts, new aspirations in our minds and new life in our spirits. God is able to keep us fresh and excited and productive. We pray for all work done is us by God to be for God. We wish to help uphold the kingdom with our own acts of righteousness.

We pray for God's mercy, protection and justice. In return, we offer to Him the only thing we can: our love and obedience. 

OT: The Book of Psalms, Psalm 142

Psalm 142:1-7

142:1-2 Whenever we have moments of fear or frustration, we should bring those concerns to God. Not only can He help us to manage a suitable outcome, He is also able to give us the patience and understanding to persevere through those moments. Once we invite His presence within us, we have the peace and practicality to determine and choose a more productive response.

142:3 It is also important to remember that though we feel overwhelmed. God does not. He has gone before us to chart our specific path along His own. There may be snares and valleys and hills but God has foreseen them all and has planned a way for us to get past them. To not just survive but to come out stronger and wiser. 

14:4 It is important to remember that because it can sometimes feel as though there is no one to help. No one who is aware. But God is always available, aware, capable and willing. And as His children, we have constant access to those beneficial traits. We need not spiral in fear or frustration.

142:5 God should always be the first one to whom we turn. We should dwell in His presence. He should be our greatest inheritance. Our most prized portion of life. We pray to Him to attend to us and He has promised to do so. Even in depressed and humble places, God is available and able to change those circumstances. We need only to ask and trust. 

142:6 We might be weak or incapable but we have access to the strength and capability of God. The impossible is made possible by our relationship with Him. The more we live in faith, the truer we find that to be. 

142:7 Once rescued from whatever physical or metaphorical prison, we use our freedom to worship God. It is just our natural, wholehearted desire to do so. God produces so much blessing and glory in our lives that is astounds us. And our outlet for that incomparable joy is gratitude and praise.