Tag Archive | lessons from Proverbs

Proverbs 17 – What’s your heart status

Jul7

Good afternoon y’all.  Today we are studying proverbs 17.

I’m blogging through the book of proverbs with Good morning girls. Check us out at www.goodmorninggirls.org or www.womenlivingwell.org

Be blessed 🙂

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I’m focusing on verse 3 and 9.

Verse 3 – Testing our hearts

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but the lord tests the heart”.(v 3 NLT)

God tests our hearts. He uses situations and circumstances to test us. He does this sometimes to check the genuineness of our love; to refine and purify us from impurities; to reveal hidden motives; and to bring out the best in us.

David in the book of Psalms understood this principle. In Psalm 26 and 139, we see David asking God to test his heart. He wanted to make sure his heart was still right with God. He understood that God doesn’t focus so much on the outward. God prefers to go directly to the source, which is our heart, to examine the motive behind our actions.

“Put me on trial, Lord , and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart”. (Psa 26:2 NLT)

“O  lord , You have examined my heart and know everything about me”. (Psa 139:1 NLT)

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life”. (Psa 139:23-24 NLT)

These verses ought to be our prayers as well, because sometimes in our own eyes we can think we are doing okay, and have arrived, whereas God is thinking otherwise because our hearts are not truly pure. We can fool people and ourselves but we can’t fool God.

In Jeremiah 17:10 the Lord says:
“But I, the Lord , search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” (NLT)

My prayer is that when our works and thoughts are put through the fire, they will come out refined and stronger to the praise and glory of God.

Verse 9 – Overlooking offenses

“Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends”. (V9 NLT)

“Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!”. (V9 MSG)

This verse is so true and I have seen it work in my life. When we forgive and move on, the relationship has hope of being restored. It might not happen instantly but with time love will prevails. But when we hold on to grudges and keep bringing them back, we drive each other apart and the relationship tends to eventually break off.

It’s very important in our christian journey that we come to a place where we are able to overlook offenses and let love have its way.  Scripture says love covers a multitude of sin.

“Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins”. (1 Peter 4:8 NLT)
“Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses”. (Proverbs 10:12 NLT)

When Jesus’ disciple asked him how many times should he forgive, I’m sure he was expecting Jesus to say something like 1 to 3 times is okay but Jesus shocked him by saying 70 times 7. Gosh! One would be sad if they actually spend time keeping records in a day till 490 is achieved and say no more forgiveness. I’ve reached my quota for the day. Could you imagine if God treated us that way? I, for one, know I would be lost. Won’t even be here writing this blog! So let’s deal with one another in love.

I pray we get to a place in our walk with God where we don’t get easily offended by people; where we find it easy to forgive and move on; and where love is the motive for all our actions.

Honestly, the world would be a better place if we all learnt to cover offenses with Love.

Thanks for joining today. Please feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed day basking in God’s goodness and love 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Proverbs 16 – Wise in your own eyes? Think twice…

Jul6

Good afternoon y’all. Happy Monday 🙂

Today we are continuing our study of Proverbs. We are in chapter 16.

I identified 3 P’s from today’s chapter. Be blessed as your read 🙂

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1) Planning

Do we consult God before making plans, no matter how small or big they may be?

Few verses in the chapter stress the fact that we need to consult God before making plans.

“Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word”. (Proverbs 16: 1 MSG)

“Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place”.(Proverbs 16: 3 MSG)

“Commit your actions to the lord , and your plans will succeed”.(Proverbs 16: 3 NLT)

“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it”.(Proverbs 16: 9 MSG)

“Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say”.(Proverbs 16:33 MSG)

We can make plans but God has the final say. That’s why it’s crucial we partner with Him for all our plans.

God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Sovereign. He knows it all. He’s been to the future. He can decide to allow our plans be successful or not. It is pride that makes us believe we can plan outside of God. Truth is, everything in our lives only happen because God allowed it. It’s not by our own strength.

James says it well in James 4:13 -16

“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil”.(James 4: 13 -16 NLT)

When we put God in charge, there is a guarantee from verse 3 that He will make our plans successful.  Who better to partner with and have as a planner and director than God himself; The creator of Heaven and earth; The one who knows everything and nothing takes Him by surprise.

Psalmist says in Psalm 127:1 that except the Lord builds a house, the labourers labor in vain.

Don’t let all your hard work be in vain. Commit all to God. He is interested in every area of our life.

2) Purpose

Everything has a purpose in life. I don’t believe in coincidence but I believe in God – incidents. According to verse 4 nothing happens by chance. It’s because God has designed it that way.

“God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included—but for judgment”. (Proverbs 16:4 MSG)

“The lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster”.(Proverbs 16:4 NLT)

All has a purpose plus the good and bad. Nothing is wasted in Gods economy. Even the people we struggle to live with are there for a purpose. Perhaps they are in our lives to teach us patience or help us learn to truly forgive and love unconditionally.

I pray God will help us see each situation in our lives from His perspective and help us find purpose in everything.

3) Pride
God doesn’t like pride, arrogance or pretense. People who exhibit this behaviour will be put in their place by God.

“God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place”.(Proverbs 16:5 MSG)

“First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. It’s better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous”. (Proverbs 16:18-19 MSG)

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud”. (Proverbs 16:18-19 NLT)

It is better to humble ourselves than for God to humble us. Ask king Nebucadnezzer and he will tell you how he wish someone had told him this before he started pumping himself up and boasting in his strength. God deflated him so fast with a good humbling experience in the wilderness living like a wild animal. When God was through with humbling him, he didn’t need anyone to convince him about who is in charge. He had learnt his lesson the hard way. Nebucadnezzer went on to say this about God in Daniel 4: 34 – 35

“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’”. (Daniel 4:34-35 NLT)

I pray we would learn to humble ourselves before God.

Verse 7 is not part of the Ps as such but I love the truth in the verse 🙂

“When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand”. (MSG)

“When a man’s ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him”.(KJV)

I pray our ways will be pleasing to God and if we are engaging in any activity that doesn’t make us pleasing to God, I pray God will have mercy on us and give the grace to turn away and restitute our ways.

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed day basking in God’s goodness 🙂

***With God all things are possible***