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?

November 26

PROVERBS 20
6 Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?
7 The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!
8 A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin”?
10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
– Proverbs 20:6-10

PROVERBS 20 ON BOASTING OF PURITY FROM SIN
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Who can claim that one has cleansed himself of sinfulness?
Can any human being completely detach itself from wickedness?
When we boast that we can totally be without evil
We are actually lying to ourselves since we are limited beings
Only God can purify and cleanse us from our nature
If we confess and repent, we will be washed from it
There is no point in boasting that we have anything to do with it
It is only the Spirit of the Lord who is able to purify our hearts.

In 1 John 1:8 it says that “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” No human being living on earth can truly say he is sinless. The bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20 that 20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Morgan comments that “This is the eternal challenge which has but one answer. When a man recognizes this, he begins to inquire for a Savior.”
Bridges also comments that “Only vain people can boast that they have pure hearts. But the boast, far from showing their goodness, demonstrates their blindness. Man is so depraved that he cannot understand his own depravity.”
Many false religions claim that they can cleanse themselves from rituals and works of the flesh, but only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can purify us from sins since he is the only one who is sinless. No human can do it without believing in him.

REFLECTION
• What is in our hearts when we boast that we are sinless?

November 25

PROVERBS 20
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,
and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion;
whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,
but every fool will be quarreling.
4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
5 The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.
– Proverbs 20:1-5

PROVERBS 20 PEACEMAKERS VERSUS TROUBLEMAKERS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When a man does not engage in conflicts
He must have wisdom and understanding
Someone who pursues peace is a man of honor
He isn’t quick to speak, instead he is a good listener.
The man who keeps on talking without listening
They are foolish and only care about their cravings
Troublemakers seek attention and are full of pride
They love to quarrel and aim to always be right.

Solomon gives us a picture of honorable man and the fools in this Proverbs. The man of honor stays away from conflicts. They seek peace and unity. 1 Peter 3:10-11 says that whoever desires to love life and see good days must keep his tongue and his lips from speaking deceit and he must turn away from evil and do good but most of all, he must seek peace and pursue it. A wicked man on the other hand isn’t interested in learning, but only in quarreling to prove that he is right. He has no desire to listen to others.

REFLECTION
• Share some insights or experiences you had with quarrelsome people and also with peacemakers.

November 24

PROVERBS 19
26 He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.
27 Cease to hear instruction, my son,
and you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness mocks at justice,
and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.
29 Condemnation is ready for scoffers,
and beating for the backs of fools.
– Proverbs 19:26-29

PROVERBS 19 WHEN YOU CEASE TO HEAR INSTRUCTIONS
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Those who do not want instructions avoid knowledge
When you try to direct the wicked, you’ll do it all again
The one who walks in the way of the wicked
They will stray and fall into the pit of darkness
Pride and a hardened heart is at the core of all rebels
They are compelled to do what is selfish and evil.

One of the characters of a true believer is obedience. The first sin of Adam and Eve has to do with their defiance to obedience. Because of their desire to know more than what they were already given, our first parents fell into sin. The original sin impacted every human being. It led every person with an inclination to hate God and to love sin. No wonder it is so easy for us to do what is evil and very hard to do what is right. The apostle Paul explains it in Romans 7:19-25 this nature of ours that we inherited from Adam and Eve. He says that “Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.”
In verse 27, Solomon gives us the consequence of not obeying or following instructions. It leads us away from wisdom and makes us stray from what is righteous. It leads to sin.

REFLECTION
• What are other consequences of not heeding God’s instructions?