Proverbs 5 - 8.12.21
Scripture - What stood out?
Proverbs 5:22-23
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,
and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.
He dies for lack of discipline,
and because of his great folly he is led astray.
Observation - What does it say?
This fifth chapter continues King Solomon’s wise words and sayings. This particular chapter focuses on adultery and its pitfalls. The strategy against adultery? The disciplined life of one who follows instruction, otherwise:
Proverbs 5
11 and at the end of your life you groan,
when your flesh and body are consumed,
12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,
and my heart despised reproof!
13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
or incline my ear to my instructors.
14 I am at the brink of utter ruin
in the assembled congregation.”
Understanding - What does it mean?
Obey God! Know the word of God! Live a disciplined life of obedience in God’s instruction!
Whether you are reading the old testament or the new, the bible is filled with teachings from God. While Proverbs 5 warns us against adultery echoing one of the commandments, it also warns us about a life that lacks discipline. Essentially King Solomon is telling his readers “Listen to me! Listen to what I have learned so you may also grow in wisdom!”
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
Help me to rightly uphold your words in my home Lord.
Lord as my family prepares to gather for yet one more family meeting. May I be the first one to be disciplined in Your instruction. My knowledge of you is lacking. My wisdom is incomplete. So I ask you Holy Spirit, help me to rightly divide Your Words and be a minister unto my own family. Help me to uphold the fear of the Lord, the Wisdom of God, and grant me strength and courage as I seek the discipline to obey You. In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.
-kenneth lee
Proverbs 4-8.11.21
Scripture
Proverbs 4: 23-24
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
Observation
As Moses so astutely pointed out yesterday, the book of Proverbs is all about true wisdom (not the one you find in a fortune cookie). And here Solomon urges the readers to heed to his advice and what he has to say. Additionally, he spends this chapter trying to convince his readers to get wisdom at any cost. He closes out this chapter saying to guard both your heart and your mouth.
Understanding
The mouth speaks what is inside the heart.
I don’t think that it is ironic that these two verses are found in tandem with one another. Whatever is in our heart filters it’s way into the tangible world whether through our actions or tho=rough our words. And although it seems like words are just words they have the power to build or destroy if we aren’t careful (ask any person who has been hurt by words). My dad asks us all the time: “How can sweet water and bitter water come from the same well?” He asked this in relation to our words. The short answer: they can’t.
Because the truth of the matter is, if Jesus has made a home in our heart then there shouldn’t be any reason that perverse talk should come from our mouth. I understand that we live in the world, but that shouldn’t make a home in our heart if it isn’t good or healthy. Instead, we should speak what flows from the heart. All of these include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, and gentleness.
Life Application
Let’s be heart healthy! And no I don’t mean by eating a bowl of Cheerios. I mean be watching what we say, and by letting wholesome words depart from our lips. Encourage one another, that’s always a good place to start!
-Allison Khan
Proverbs 3
SCRIPTURE
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
OBSERVATION-What does it say?
The book of Proverbs is a book which hands out wisdom. And I’m not talking about the wisdom you get at the end of a meal in a Chinese restaurant as you open their fortune cookie! I’m talking about wisdom that was passed down to Solomon from God!...TRUE WISDOM! It is wisdom that is meant to bring order out of this chaos we call life. Whether it’s in our finances or friendships, family or faith, this wisdom can restore order and balance in the lives of those who are willing to humbly accept it and apply it. In this proverb, King Solomon is giving out his guidance to the young. Guidance that is pleading for them to trust in the Lord. Trust in His wisdom, not our own!
UNDERSTANDING-What does it mean?
We may think we know better, but we really don’t!
In the book of Proverbs, the wise person is humble before the holiness and counsel of God and the experience of others. The foolish are the ones who ignore the wise counsel and persist in making the same faulty choices time after time.
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”-Proverbs 9:10
I remember when I was in my early twenties I felt invincible. I felt bulletproof and there was nothing in this world that could stop me from doing anything. I felt I knew it all. I was steering away from God’s ways, and doing things my way. (Because who else knows what’s best for me besides me right?) Then life’s storms started to hit me. Bills, finances, friendships, loneliness, and uncertainty hit me. The confidence I once had in myself was gone. I started to question everything I did. I was stuck in a rut. Then one day I looked at my nightstand and saw a gift I had gotten from my dad as a teenager. It was a sailboat. And on the sail of this boat was inscribed the Bible verse of Proverbs 3:5-6. I remember praying to the Lord that night. I rededicated my life to God that night. I surrendered my foolish ways of doing things and began to trust in Him again. And let’s just say my life has been forever changed (for the better) ever since.
Does that mean when I rededicated my life to God that I was immune from life’s troubles? No! I just learned to “trust the process” more. I learned to seek His purposes for me no matter what kind of circumstance I was put in. I learned that even in life’s struggles God was always with me. He was using the situation to grow me, mature me, and mold me to be the man He wants me to be. I learned to trust His ways over my own. Because why not trust the One who has seen it all?
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”-Revelation 22:13
LIFE APPLICATION
Trust in God and the experience of the Godly people He has placed in our lives.
Thank You God for Your wisdom. Thank You for surrounding me with people in my life who taught me about Your ways. Thank You for my parents. Thank You for placing me here at DSC and the amazing leadership here that continues to challenge me to be a better Christ-Follower. Thank You for Your guidance. Lord give me strength to be obedient towards Your will and Your ways. In Your Holy name Jesus, Amen.
-Moses Gaddi