Lord, thank you for your word, and thank you for the power of prayer. We come to you from all corners of the earth to receive your wisdom and truth. God, please fill us with your Holy Spirit and give us more and greater life than we could ever ask or imagine.

The Book of Proverbs, Chapter 12

Pro 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Pro 12:2 A good man obtains favor from the LORD, but a man of evil devices he condemns.
Pro 12:3 No one is established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
Pro 12:4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
Pro 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are just; the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
Pro 12:6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright delivers them.
Pro 12:7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.
Pro 12:8 A man is commended according to his good sense, but one of twisted mind is despised.
Pro 12:9 Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread.
Pro 12:10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Pro 12:11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
Pro 12:12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers, but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
Pro 12:13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escapes from trouble.
Pro 12:14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
Pro 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
Pro 12:16 The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.
Pro 12:17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.
Pro 12:18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
Pro 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
Pro 12:20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.
Pro 12:21 No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.
Pro 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.
Pro 12:23 A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.
Pro 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
Pro 12:25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.
Pro 12:26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Pro 12:27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.
Pro 12:28 In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

Bits of wisdom applied from Proverbs 13

1) Wow - that is blunt! How many people do you know that love discipline? That is probably the same reason why everyone acts so foolishly : ) I could use some serious work on this one. Imagine if your boss comes in and tells you to do something. When a police officer pulls you over, do you admit your wrong and accept the ticket, or are you that man or woman who greets the police officer with lame excuses and/or a string of obscenities?

The wise man is peaceful and usually gets out of the ticket. I can testify to that. I may not be the nicest person, but I always knew to “kiss butt” with the police. As a result I’ve gotten out of several tickets with a warning. I also know of people who rack up tickets like consultants collect frequent flyer miles. I’ll give you one guess how they act.

4) I have only been married a bit over a year so I can not totally testify to this, but I can compare two girlfriends I had (one of which is my current wife). My wife (we’ll call her “C”) is the sweetest, most honorable woman I have ever met. I am so proud to be her husband and certainly was proud to be her boyfriend before that. My parents always joke that she “raised the stock” in our family gene pool.

Then there was my previous girlfriend… we’ll just leave it at that.

Choose your mate carefully. Most of your earthly joy or grief will come from this decision. Some people are in such a rush to get married, because that will “fix everything”. As wonderful as my marriage is, I can tell you that it does not! Of course God can do amazing things with our marriage and truly meld us into one if we let him. The first step is to marry a believer. Perhaps the most self-defeating thing that a person could do would be to marry outside the Christian faith.

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

There are numerous examples in the Bible where people did this and went wayyyyy of track of God’s plan. Solomon was a great example. His wives ended up infiltrating his mind and he turned from God for some time.

Our relationship with God is everthing. We can’t expect to “save” our spouse either. If you are already married to an unbeliever, it is not too late though. Pray for them daily. That’s what my wife did for me (we weren’t married yet, though) Also be prepared to be a humble, serving example of Christ’s love. That will show them a first-hand example so the Gospel does not seem as foreign when they hear it.

5-6) There is so much in this chapter about our words. What we speak is so important to our growth. Our words can defeat our faith over time. Our words can steal joy and faith from others, which is far worse!

9) This reminds me of a book that I read some time ago, “The Millionaire Next Door.” The book gave all kinds of statistical data, forming a profile of the average millionaire. The book was made some time ago, but the information was quite surprising. Most millionaires are people you would never notice. They were usually entrepreneurs, though not of the “Internet Millionaires” or of the “Donald Trump” variety. They usually owned something like a plumbing business, or a couple dry cleaners. The most unusual characteristic was that they lived so modestly.

In contrast, most Americans live far above their means. We amass great debts and say that “that’s just the way things are”. God disagrees. I don’t want to jump ahead in the book, but Proverbs 22:7 says that the “borrower is slave to the lender”. It is unfortunate that a country that prides itself so much on its freedom is so easily deceived into slavery.

I saw this in my first job out of school. I worked at a law office where there was a wide disparity between the “haves” and the “have nots”. The offices were in an exclusive, wealthy part of town and the metro area already had a bit of a reputation as being a bit “snooty”, if you know what I mean. This all contributed to the “have nots” struggling mightily to show that they were more well off than they were. They would buy all kinds of things and talk about how much their gardener and maid cost. This coming from people making about 35K / yr. Tsk, Tsk.

I am not totally clean of that foolishness, though. I remember being reluctant to tell some people that I lived in an apartment complex. More financially stable peers of mine had purchased homes but I was ashamed of the misspending of my youth, so I avoided the topic or misrepresented by omission. Tsk, Tsk.

10) A man who is nice to you and beats his dog is not a nice man. A cat… that’s another story ; ) Just kidding! Save your emails : )

12) Here’s a weird testimony for you regarding this verse. When I lived in Kentucky, I was pretty deep in sin. The town where I lived was right along I-75 which was a major route for drug smuggling. I heard about someone finding a bag on the side of the road stuffed with drug money. Apparently they leave the bag on the side of the road and exchange it for drugs left in a bag nearby. The dealers just look like they are changing a tire. I guess sometimes the money or drugs gets lost.

Well, I used to daydream about finding this drug money and getting out of debt, buying a house, etc. That is exactly what this is verse talks about. If I am truly living from God, the thought of drug money would make my skin crawl. I would give the money to the authorities right away. I am pretty sure that is what I would do at this point in my life. How about you?

15) So many people embark on grand plans without seeking advice from others. Make sure the advice is from wise counsel, though. I suggest getting in a small group. If you are in business, join a group of Christian businesspeople. That has such amazing potential for blessings.

16, 18) This is one of my biggest struggles - my hot temper. It has been passed down from both sides of my family so I had an impossible battle before God stepped in. There is still much work to be done, especially when I am driving : )

19) My wife and I got caught up in this today. We told a “little white lie” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, and it came back to bite us in the “you know where.” Don’t lie - pray to God to learn to speak the truth in love. Until we get an answer, we need to get away until we do. Rarely does anything require such an immediate response.

I’m not talking about telling someone that their blouse is ugly to avoid lying, either. I strive not to get too dogmatic. Especially since I don’t know diddly-squat about theology. If in doubt, read I Corinthians 13. That gives the perfect guidelines for interpersonal communication.

21) No harm - none! That is great news. Things may look dark and grim (valley of the shadow of death), but “no harm will befall us” (Psalm 23). Here’s another.

28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.

Let’s give God the opportunity to fail us… It won’t happen, though.

24) Oh, I have been on both sides of the coin. While there are dangers of being too diligent, I choose busy hands over lazy ones. At least then we are putting ourselves in the position to God to bless our works. As the saying goes, “You can’t hit the game-winning shot without taking it.”

27) I get this image of a caveman pouncing on an animal carcass eating the raw meat with his hands while his slightly-more-upright-walking neighbor is cooking his meat on an open fire,. The second man enjoys his meal while the first lives for pure subsistence.

28) This sounds really important, but I just don’t quite have my spiritual “hands around it” yet.

Getting to know the Lord - Gospel of John, Chapter 12

Joh 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
Joh 13:2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him,
Joh 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God,
Joh 13:4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.
Joh 13:5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
Joh 13:6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Joh 13:7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
Joh 13:8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
Joh 13:9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
Joh 13:10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”
Joh 13:11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
Joh 13:12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?
Joh 13:13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am.
Joh 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
Joh 13:15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
Joh 13:16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
Joh 13:17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Joh 13:18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’
Joh 13:19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he.
Joh 13:20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”
Joh 13:21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Joh 13:22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke.
Joh 13:23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus,
Joh 13:24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking.
Joh 13:25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?”
Joh 13:26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.
Joh 13:27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.”
Joh 13:28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him.
Joh 13:29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor.
Joh 13:30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Joh 13:31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
Joh 13:32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.
Joh 13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’
Joh 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Joh 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Joh 13:36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.”
Joh 13:37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”
Joh 13:38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

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