December 7

PROVERBS 22
A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
2 The rich and the poor meet together;
the LORD is the Maker of them all.
3 The prudent sees danger and hides himself,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
4 The reward for humility and fear of the LORD
is riches and honor and life.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked;
whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it. -PROVERBS 22:1-6

PROVERBS 22 WHEN YOU TRAIN A CHILD EARLY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a child is trained early to go the right path
They will not depart from it no matter what
But when they are left alone without correction
They will be lost and be vulnerable to all temptations
When you are a parent and you neglect your child
You are going to answer to the Lord for your disregard.

It is an honor to be given the gift of having children. But in our very busy and self-centered world today, children can become a “task” or a “hindrance” to their parent’s work, ambitions and goals in life. So many children grow up without guidance and they survive by fending for themselves and navigate through the neglect or abuse from their caregivers. No wonder our youth today are so confused and their minds are so darkened. There were no loving parents to teach them the right way. They reach adulthood still stuck in the unmet needs and the coping mechanisms that they have learned to use just to survive such lack of guidance, teaching, discipline and correction.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think we have parents who couldn’t care less about bringing up their children on the right path?

December 6

PROVERBS 21
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
28 A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face,
but the upright gives thought to his ways.
30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the LORD.
31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the LORD.– Proverbs 21:27-31

PROVERBS 21 HUMAN WISDOM VERSUS GOD’S WISDOM
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a man thinks, he only exhibits one viewpoint
His perspective comprises of his experiences and mindsets
It is very limited and can constantly change; it can be flawed
He does not see the big picture; it is filtered by his little mind
God’s wisdom on the other hand is absolute truth and vast
It doesn’t have limits; it sees all different sides of the facts
Divine wisdom is unfathomable by humans, it is infinite
God’s knowledge surpasses all understanding, it is complete.

In the book of James in chapter 3, he describes what wisdom from above is. He says it is
first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. If you examine the wisdom of man, can you truly say that it is pure, open to reason, merciful and fruitful, just and sincere? In 2 Corinthians 10:5, we are urged by Paul to destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. And in Colossians 2:8 it says that you must not let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
We clearly can see from these verses that God’s wisdom is not anything close to man.

REFLECTION
• Why is assumption and human philosophy very different from God’s wisdom?

December 5

PROVERBS 21
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself out of trouble.
24 “Scoffer” is the name of the arrogant, haughty man
who acts with arrogant pride.
25 The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.
– Proverbs 21:21-26

PROVERBS 21 THE LAZY MAN’S DEMISE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Those who desire things but do not want to work at getting them
They are the ones who think highly of themselves and are entitled
The lazy man craves for many things but do not want to lift his hands
They expect others to give them their wishes and their demands
All day long, they sit on their butts and wait for things to happen
Without a clue that they are plunging into the pit of destruction.

According to Psychology today website, the word ‘laziness’ arose in the sixteenth century; older terms for germane notions are indolence and sloth. Indolence derives from the Latin indolentia, ‘without pain’. Sloth has more moral and spiritual connotations. In the Christian tradition, sloth is one of the seven deadly sins because it invites evil-doing and undermines God’s plan for humankind. in Colossians 3:23, it says that “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” and in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Paul gives them this command: “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” We clearly see the consequences of sloth such as verse 25 says. It leads to ruin and eventually to death.

REFLECTION
• Share some insights on the negative effects of laziness in someone’s life?

December 4

PROVERBS 21
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
and the traitor for the upright.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it. – Proverbs 21:16-20

PROVERBS 21 WHEN ONE WANDERS FROM GOOD SENSE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When one does not want to receive the truth from God’s word
They will surely seek the pleasures that are from this world
They will not embrace what is truly beneficial for them
Instead, they will be led to follow the path of the wicked
When one wanders from good sense, it will lead to ruin
All those who follow wisdom overcome temptations and sins.

In verse 16 of this Proverbs, Solomon warns us when we detour and take a different route from the way of good sense. The word means, primarily, the seat of the senses, the region of feeling; in the Septuagint of Jeremiah 4:19, it represents the Hebrew qir, “the walls of the heart” and is used to denote the internal sense or faculty of perceiving and judging, which in Hebrews 5:14 is regarded as becoming perfected by use or exercise. When we hear the phrase “Use your common sense” it means to think and behave in a reasonable way, and to make good decisions. It refers to the basic ability to perceive, understand, and judge in a manner that is shared by nearly all people. We are warned to use our good sense in life or else we will perish. Anyone who doesn’t use all the faculties of the mind and the emotions and our sense of right and wrong is heading for destruction

REFLECTION
• How can we establish a good sense in our day-to-day living?

December 3

PROVERBS 21
11 When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise;
when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.
12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;
he throws the wicked down to ruin.
13 Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor
will himself call out and not be answered.
14 A gift in secret averts anger, and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.
15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.
– Proverbs 21:11-15

PROVERBS 21 THE TEACHABLE SPIRIT
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When the wise receives instruction, they accept it
But when fools are given guidance, they don’t listen
The wise and humble person has a teachable spirit
They don’t ever think that they know everything
But the wicked only want their opinion voiced
They do not want to hear others or be taught
The fool continues to go on his foolish ways
But the wise pursues wisdom all of his life.

Have you ever tried to tell something to someone and they cannot absorb what you are saying? Their minds are not on what you are instructing them about because they do not care about your opinion or point of view. All they ever care about is that they have aired out their opinion and attention is on them. They do not seek counsel or even think that there is another person outside of themselves who can have a better opinion apart from them. They have no concern or care for others and they have close ears and eyes to the needs of others. This is called an unteachable spirit. It is the spirit of being unable to have a sense of what is good or what is bad. It is a spirit driven by love for “self.” It is that tendency to cater only for what they want. It is like a spoiled brat who will never bend or compromise at getting their most desired wants at the time they think of it.

REFLECTION
• Share an experience you had with the unteachable spirit.

December 2

PROVERBS 21
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.
8 The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the pure is upright.
9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.
– Proverbs 21:6-10

PROVERBS 21 THE PURE AND THE WICKED
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The soul of the wicked is after the cravings of his flesh
He does only what is evil and only concerned with the “self”
The violence that the wicked inflicts on others will return to them
Because they refuse to do what is just, they will have God’s wrath.
The pure on the other hand follows the Spirit of the Lord
They do not yoke with those who live for this world
The heart of the pure is only after obeying God’s laws
They do not give in to the desires of their flesh.

Verse 8 of this Proverbs echoes David’s Psalm 1 whose theme is the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. In Psalm 1, David gives us a picture of the righteous versus the wicked men. The pure man delights in the laws of the Lord and doesn’t get himself involved in any activities that has to do with evil. He is guided by a lifestyle of love, peace, honesty and obedience to God’s laws. Unlike the unrighteous whose lives are all focused on getting their wants and desires met, the pure does not live a compromised life. His focus is always on following his Master and never the world.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important not to be surrounded by worldly people if you are a Christian?

November 30

PROVERBS 20
26 A wise king winnows the wicked
and drives the wheel over them.
27 The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD,
searching all his innermost parts.
28 Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king,
and by steadfast love his throne is upheld.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil;
strokes make clean the innermost parts.
– Proverbs 20:26-30

PROVERBS 20 GOD’S LIGHT PENETRATES HUMAN SPIRIT
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
No one can truly know and see the human spirit
Sometimes, even the man himself is blind to it
But when the light of God shines through him
His spirit comes to know what is true and what is sin
No one can hide from the light if God shines it on you
Even your darkest side can be transformed and renewed.

In Psalm 139:7-12 David says “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, ‘the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”
Solomon reiterates his father, David, on the light of God that penetrates the human soul in verse 27. We cannot hide from God because he made us and he constantly shines his light on the darkness especially the ones that are in our hearts, mind and soul.

REFLECTION
• If God sees the spirit, why do humans tend to hide from the light of the Lord?

November 29

PROVERBS 20
21 An inheritance gained hastily in the beginning
will not be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I will repay evil”;
wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.
23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD,
and false scales are not good.
24 A man’s steps are from the LORD;
how then can man understand his way?
25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only after making vows.
– Proverbs 20:21-25

PROVERBS 20 ALL OF MAN’S ACTIONS ARE FROM GOD
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Every step a man take is not solely his own
It is allowed by God’s grace that he makes this decision
When a man thinks that he is completely separate from God
He is lying to himself because he doesn’t have the truth in him
We can never truly comprehend why God permits us to do things
It surely is for our own good so we can grow in the fear of Him.
________________________________________Have you ever wondered why we do what we do? Many of us think that we have control over our own minds and hearts. Many bible verses remind us that only God is in control Ephesians 1:11 says that “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” Jeremiah 29:11 also says that “I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In Proverbs 16:9 it says that “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps. We will never truly understand God’s ways but it is comforting to know that he knows everything and is in control of every decision and each step we make.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important to acknowledge that every choice, decision and step we make is governed by God even though we think we made it ourselves?