December 15

PROVERBS 23

10 Do not move an ancient landmark
or enter the fields of the fatherless,
11 for their Redeemer is strong;
he will plead their cause against you.
12 Apply your heart to instruction
and your ear to words of knowledge.
13 Do not withhold discipline from a child;
if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
14 If you strike him with the rod,
you will save his soul from Sheol.
– Proverbs 23:10-14

PROVERBS 23 COMMIT YOURSELF TO INSTRUCTION
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
If you want to be able to live a life of peace and joy
Commit yourself to instruction from God’s word
Meditate on truth and fill your mind and heart with it
Then darkness will be exposed and you’ll see the devil’s tactics
Be faithful to follow what God commands you to do
If you press to obey the law, you’ll find love and joy.

What do you think verse 12 of these Proverbs mean? What does it look like to apply your heart to instruction? Many Christians read the bible but probably few believers actually apply the laws and truth in our lives. We get stuck in our minds and usually what we read in the bible or teachings in our churches do not always touch our hearts into applying such commands or instructions.
In the book of James chapter one he stresses the importance of not just hearing the word, but in also doing it. He says that if one only hears and doesn’t do it, he is like a man looking at his natural face in the mirror who forgets quickly what he looks like after leaving.

REFLECTION
• Why is it important to commit ourselves to God’s instructions?

December 14

PROVERBS 23
6 Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy;
do not desire his delicacies,
7 for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.
“Eat and drink!” he says to you,
but his heart is not with you.
8 You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten,
and waste your pleasant words.
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,
for he will despise the good sense of your words.
– Proverbs 23:6-9

PROVERBS 23 DON’T GIVE WISDOM TO FOOLS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you have acquired truth and wisdom, use it wisely
Do not mishandle it by throwing it on people who are foolish
Why waste your time on instructing fools; they won’t listen
If you attempt to put some sense into them, it is only useless
Fools care only about their own limited understanding
They are so senseless; they don’t know what is good for them.

In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warns his disciples “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” What does this verse mean? According to a commentary, “It is easy to focus on the derogatory imagery of dogs and pigs and miss the real point, which is not meant as an insult. The message is about wasting things of value on those who not only won’t appreciate them, but might even be angered by the offer.” Just like Solomon warns us in verse 4 of this Proverbs that we need not speak good sense in the hearing of a fool or they will just despise us. What is the point of giving valuable wise words to someone who does not want it? One will just be wasting efforts to bring truth to someone who doesn’t want to hear it. Bring truth only to those who would value and appreciate it.

REFLECTION
• Cite an instance when someone foolish just trampled on a sensible word you said.

December 13

PROVERBS 23
When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
observe carefully what is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat
if you are given to appetite.
3 Do not desire his delicacies,
for they are deceptive food.
4 Do not toil to acquire wealth;
be discerning enough to desist.
5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone,
for suddenly it sprouts wings,
flying like an eagle toward heaven.
– Proverbs 23:1-5

PROVERBS 23 DESIST THE LOVE OF MONEY
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
The love of money cannot exist if you are a servant of Christ
No one can serve two masters but only those with double minds
Those who are lovers of money work to acquire riches
But the believer gathers treasures that belong to heaven
You will be a slave to the dark powers if you love money
Satan will surely keep you in bondage to sin and be greedy.

Solomon warns us in verse 4 of the dangers of the love of money and wealth. He says that if one works only to acquire wealth, there will be consequences that will not be beneficial for that person.
In the garden of Eden before the fall, the history of work began “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Genesis 2:15). Work then wasn’t that hard since God had already provided everything they needed. After the fall, the consequence of their disobedience changed the purpose of work. Because man was tainted with sin, he has a tendency to work to gather wealth instead of his daily bread. Before the fall, man was content with God’s provision, but greed entered his heart after.

REFLECTION
• Why should we be purposeful with our work ethics? What happens if we aren’t?

December 10

PROVERBS 22
17 Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise,
and apply your heart to my knowledge,
18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,
if all of them are ready on your lips.
19 That your trust may be in the LORD,
I have made them known to you today, even to you.
20 Have I not written for you thirty sayings
of counsel and knowledge,
21 to make you know what is right and true,
that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
– Proverbs 22:17-21

PROVERBS 22 HAVE TRUTH READY ON YOUR LIPS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Be quick to listen to what is true at all times
This will expel all kinds of lies that always comes
If you have the habit of storing Gods words in your heart
It will be easy to speak only what is true from your mouth
When you know the truth, it will set you free
The devil’s tricks or tactics will not triumph over you.

I know of some Christians who do not take memorizing God’s word at heart. Some say that not all Christians need to memorize God’s truth. Joshua 1:8 says clearly “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” To meditate on it day and night means to store it in your heart and not just your mind. If we constantly consume it day and night, we will automatically speak it out loud, wouldn’t we? Wouldn’t all Christians be truth lovers instead of deceived? Jeremiah 15:16 says “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart.”

REFLECTION
• Why do you think some Christians don’t memorize or meditate on God’s word?

December 9

PROVERBS 22
13 The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!”
14 The mouth of forbidden women is a deep pit;
he with whom the LORD is angry will fall into it.
15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
16 Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth,
or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty.
– Proverbs 22:13-16

PROVERBS 22 THE ROD OF DISCIPLINE
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When children are instructed and guided in righteousness
They will not give in to their natural selfish tendencies
Correcting and showing a child the way to go
Is the highest form of love that parents can show
When a person is raised in loving discipline
He will be secure and overcome the temptation to sin
When children are abused, misguided and neglected
It results in insecurities and various mental challenges.

Many children nowadays are left misguided and uncorrected. Too many parents are so absorbed in their jobs that their kids are either neglected on their own at a very young age or dropped off at daycare places that they haven’t even cared to investigate about. The early stages of development of a human being lies in those first years of life. They are formative. If the child isn’t instructed in the right way to go, they will definitely have issues later on in their lives. That is why the root of many mental and emotional problems of a person lies in the attachment age years. The attachment theory argues that a strong emotional and physical bond to one primary caregiver in our first years of life is critical to our development. If that primary caregiver does not model or teach the right life skills to the child, they won’t be able to learn how to navigate a world full of challenges and trials.

REFLECTION
• Why do you think the “rod of discipline” is frowned upon by the world system?

December 8

PROVERBS 22
7 The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.
8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of his fury will fail.
9 Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed,
for he shares his bread with the poor.
10 Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart,
and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
– Proverbs 22:7-12

PROVERBS 21 WHEN YOU DRIVE OUT A SCOFFER
The Hebrew word for scoffer is “lutws,” which literally means “to twist the mouth” or “make mouth at”. The book of Proverbs says that the scoffer is the most difficult person to reach with the good news of Jesus Christ. Proverbs 13:1 says, “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke”.
Freedomchurchweb.com says this about mockers: Mockers are also called scoffers in Scripture. They defy and renounce truth and good things, not only to their own detriment and destruction, but that of others. They are provokers of others to wrong, strife and evil. Scripture tells us “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you.” You can’t persuade or reason with a mocker to turn away from his mockery. Without God’s often dramatic intervention, most mockers are a “lost cause.” When confronted with the truth, they will hate you because they hate the truth. Sadly, the mocker is usually beyond any human help. Don’t waste your time or energy trying to instruct the mocker. Pray for them, the only cure for them is God himself, who has to arrest him and humble him.
Solomon shows us the aftermath of driving out a scoffer in verse 10. All kinds of quarreling, strife and abuse stops. Their absence brings about peace, joy, faith and love. A heavy burden will be taken away from you when you let them go because they are toxic.

REFLECTION
• Share some encounters with scoffers that you have experienced.

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?