Proverbs 14

PROVERBS 14


"A faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter lies.
A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.
Fools mock at sin,
But among the upright there is favor."
(vs 5-9)

Dear friends, as I told a good brother recently as he prepared to teach our mid-week Bible Study, I never realized how much depth of Truth was contained in these 31 Proverbs. It’s been a real blessing to be able to study & share with you from the Scriptures, and I pray that God would reveal to each of us, His wisdom and understanding concerning each verse we read.

Just a couple insights I want to share this morning...

"Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
In all labor there is profit,
But idle chatter leads only to poverty."
(vs 22-23)

How we labor, how we plan and spend our time, not only has great effect on our lives today, but also has Eternal consequences. Whatever it is: our jobs, our ministry, our giving and helping, our time in prayer, even our hobbies... may it be unto the Lord.

"Whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality."- Col 3:23-25

The Apostle Paul, a servant of Christ and to men, wrote to admonish those who would take advantage of the members of the body of Christ, using the Name of the Lord for their own gain. At the same time, he sought to encourage those who humbly worked to help those who were truly in need, further the Gospel, and bring glory to our Lord and Savior Jesus. He stated firmly -
"if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good." - 2 Thess 3:10-13

May we bring to the Lord in prayer all that we plan to do, and may all that we do be pleasing unto Him.


"A true witness delivers souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death."
(vs 25-27)

We will see the phrase - "The fear of the Lord" many times over the next few days as we continue on in Proverbs. The Bible speaks much about fearing the Lord, and only Him. From that fear comes wisdom, discernment, sustenance, strength, Life.

"O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry." - Psalm 34:9-15

May the Holy Spirit grant us understanding of what it means to ’fear the Lord’, May it become a part of our character. May the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, be a very real part of our lives more and more each day.

God bless you all,

Michael


Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding.
(vs 33a)