Proverbs

Proverbs 22:7-9

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Proverbs 22;7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.
9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
 
These verse tells us what we saw earlier how the rich provide jobs for the poor and therefore they rule over them. Also in this first verse we know anytime you borrow money you are subject to the conditions of the loan till it is paid off, so you are a servant to it. Next we see that what you sew,whether it be good or bad, you will reap the consequences of you actions. If it is bad works that you sew anger can come into play and it cause whatever you are doing to fail. Lastly we see that the ones who see the needs of others and they have to give, they give what they can. Because he gives God in turn blesses him.The Lord said, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto the least of these you have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).
A Note from Hope

Hope and the ‘Possum: a Note from Scout

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I know Mom has told ya’ll about how Hope likes to chase the ‘possums when they’re on the porch at night. And I’m sure you remember the night she ran right off the end of the porch. Well, now she’s done something that even tops that!

The other night when we were going outside, Mom put my harness on me and we went out the door- I guess one of the ‘possums was on the porch, but instead of running off the end, it just ran down the steps and out into the yard.

Of course, Hope jumped right over the steps to get to it- Mom was yelling at Hope (boy she sounded scared), trying to get her to come back on the porch, and Hope was barking at the ‘possum, and the ‘possum was hissing at Hope! They were circling around each other, and it looked like Hope was going to bite the ‘possum. Meanwhile, I was pulling on the leash- I just knew I could get in there and help Hope…. Boy what a lot of excitement! I loved it.

But Mom finally got Hope’s attention, and when she turned around, the ‘possum ran around the house.

We did get to finish our walk, but then Mom took us back inside so she could check Hope to make sure she was OK.  Not a scratch on her; but she sure was scaring that ‘possum!

After we went to bed that night, Hope whispered in my ear, “Let’s do that again tomorrow night!”

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Dad says he thinks Hope’s favorite Bible verse is:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Proverbs

Proverbs 22:5-6

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Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
 
We see again that those who are not following the ways of the Lord are running into nothing but trouble. Not only do they cause trouble for themselves but try to drag others with them.But for those that follow the Lord will not have to worry about the thorns and snares, they just get to look forward to their future with our Lord. This next verse is one most of us are familiar with and that is to train our children in the ways of the Lord and when they old they will not depart from them. This meas to teach in every way the instructions they need to make good decisions, how to escape danger, and a good prayer life. To read God’s word daily and instill the fear of god in him and he will not depart from these ways as he ages. We should know this to be true because to many of us might have been taught right and drifted away but as we grew older things began to help us see the right path to take back to God.
Proverbs

Proverbs 22 : 3-4

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Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
 
Verse three tells us that a prudent man, or a man of wisdom, can see danger coming and escape it. But the simple, that out number the prudent, just move on forward without thinking. They go with the crowd even if it is leading to destruction. The punishment ca come from others or from themselves as they go headlong into danger. Verse 4 goes on to tell us as we humble ourselves to God and have a reverent fear of him we will be blessed in ways we cannot imagine. In finances, how people treat us, and with an abundant life. But the greatest thing He gives us is eternal in Heaven with Him where we will have want for nothing.
Proverbs

Proverbs 22:1-2

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Proverbs22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
 
As this chapter starts we see that a good name and reputation are more important than any amount of wealth we can have. Riches of silver and gold and money are not permanent,even though they are nice to have, but not as nice as the good name you gain by living for God and gaining something more valuable, eternal life. Verse two goes on to tell us that God made all men, rich and poor. One commentator said, “God made the poor to work to make the wealth of the rich, and that He made the rich to provide jobs for the poor so they could make a living.” The rich and poor should live in harmony as brothers and sisters in Christ. Everybody is equal before God, rich and poor alike.
Proverbs

Proverbs 21 :30-31

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Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.
31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.
 
Inverse 30 we see that our wisdom compared to the wisdom of God is but a drop in the bucket. In no way can we pit our wisdom against the wisdom of God, the one who created everything and understands how everything works. The book of Job even tells us in 42:1-3 how great God is. Earlier in Job God ask him where was he when He laid the foundation of the earth. Verse 31 goes on to tell us that we do do not need to depend on anything but Lord for our safe keeping. Horses were used in battle to help protect and fight but even they are not as adequate as the Lord when it comes to our everyday protection and safety. If we put our full faith and trust in God we will have the wisdom we need and the protection from Satan’s’ attacks we need.
Proverbs

Proverbs 21 : 24-29

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24 Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind?28 A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.29 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.
 
Here in these six verses we have six classes of people. First we have the infidel who is arrogant, proud, haughty and conceited. They are unreachable. The slothful who we already know is someone who wants everything but does not want to work for any of it. The idle time he has leads to trouble which leads to punishment.He covets things he cannot have . Then you have the righteous who gives and does not hold back from doing good. The wicked we know is an abomination to God and even more so when it is brought with evil intent. Next the liar or false witness will be found out and no one will believe him any longer, but the man who finds it out will tell everyone he can. Verse 29 goes on to say this person will harden his heart to change, he is not teachable. Then we have the upright of which the Lord directs their paths and they are teachable int he ways of God. They are upright in doing the will of God. Of these 6 verses we 4 kinds of people that the world is full of today and 2 kinds of people who are trying to reach these lost and dying souls, we have our work cut out for us. It may look like we are out numbered but we have a mighty Savior on our side who gives us the advantage.
Proverbs

Proverbs 21:21-23

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Proverbs 21:21 He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour.
22 A wise man scaleth the city of the mighty, and casteth down the strength of the confidence thereof.
23 Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
 
As we read these verses we see that if we pursue righteousness and mercy we will have eternal life because we walk in righteousness which brings us honor.We are told to be merciful because Jesus was merciful to us first. Righteousness, mercy, and honor for us is a by-product of our salvation. We read in God’s word where people who followed the wisdom of God conquered their enemies. If the children of Israel had listen to God’s wisdom and not doubted that they could take the promised land they would not have wandered for 40 years. When they did enter the promised land and listened to the wisdom of God the walls of Jericho fell. We see in this that Godly wisdom is greater than body strength and shows us that wisdom is mightier than strength. Finally we see the tongue being spoken of again. It tells us what we should already know and that is words spoken in haste will probably be regretted later. The book of James tells us it is better to listen than to talk. Today is Mothers’ day so please attend church today because you know she prays for you to be there every day. Also be sure to wish her a blessed a happy Mothers’ day.
Proverbs

Proverbs 21 :19-20

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Proverbs 21:19 It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.
20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up.
 
Verse 19 tells us that it is better to live in the wilderness than to live in the house with someone who is all the time nagging and complaining about everything. This says a woman that is ill tempered but it could also mean a man. Verse 20 tells us that a wise man is careful how he uses and saves his money so he has what he needs on a rainy day. A foolish person spends everything he gets as soon as he gets it or even before he gets and borrows so he is always having to pay back what he got. This could apply in a spiritual way, a wise persons treasure is eternal life that he works for every day, a foolish person says he wait for a more convenient time and winds up missing his opportunity to be saved. Lets us be careful in who we choose to be around so we do not wind up in the wilderness and always be wise in how keep those things that are important to us.
A Note from Hope

Mom is Sad: A Note from Hope

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Mom was gone a long time yesterday, and when she got home, she cried.  She snuggled Scout and me up in her lap and told us that she was sad because a friend of hers and Dad’s died yesterday.

They didn’t get to see him very often, but they sure did like him a lot. He used to ride motorcycles with them.

Mom says they’re not sad for him, because he loved Jesus and Jesus loved him, so he got to go to Heaven. That sounds good to me! But Mom says she’s sad for his family and friends – they won’t get to see him for a long time, and that is sad.

I kissed Mom and reminded her what she always tells us – that Jesus loves us too, and He is sad for us too,  when we miss our friends and family. But He promised us a long time ago that we could go be with Him if we wanted to.

So when Dad and Mom pray for his family and the rest of his friends, they’re gonna remember to ask Jesus to make sure He wraps His arms around them and comfort them. I know He will, because He keeps His promises.

The LORD is near the brokenhearted; He saves those crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18