Proverbs 6  The father continues to speak wisdom into the life of the son.

Verses 1-5 warn about becoming mixed up with either a neighbor or a stranger, by pledging yourself to them in some way that becomes a trap or snare.  It is like Paul's warning in 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"   Solomon tells him to "Go, humble yourself, and importune your neighbor." and to "Deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunter's hand."  Get out and stay out of these kinds of situations. 

Verses 6-11 teach about laziness. Being a sluggard will only bring poverty and helplessness.  Instead, as the ant, each should plan ahead and make provision for the future.  

Verses 12-15  warn about the worthlessness of the wicked, for their end is calamity and brokenness.

Verses 16 - 19 are a little poetic word: 

"There are six things which the Lord hates, yes seven that are an abomination to Him:

Haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

and hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked plans,

feet that run rapidly to evil, 

a false witness who utters lies,

and one who spreads strife among brothers."

Notice how this lists parts of the body... with the last two going back to the tongue again.  Brings to mind Romans 12: 1-2 " I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." 

We either give our bodies over to do what the Lord hates, or we totally offer it to Him as  a living sacrifice.. to do His will which is good and acceptable and pleasing to Him. 

Again, in the last part of this chapter, Solomon reminds his son to "observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother."  When we learn to obey God's Word we will find it a wonderful guide, a shelter,  a lamp, and a light for life. 

Solomon also warns again of the consequences of immorality, calling adultery a worse sin that stealing. 

Hold tightly to God's Word and trust Him fully.  This takes a deliberate act of humbling ourselves before Him.. trusting Him with all our heart and not relying on our own understanding.  So I pray:

Father in heaven, All glorious and majestic and wise, we turn to You and bow before You, presenting ourselves today as Your servants, Your children, who desire to serve You alone.  Help us to cling to Your Word and to walk in Your ways.  Help us to be faithful to teach our children and grandchildren Your commandments.  We surrender our bodies, our eyes, our hands, our feet, and our hearts to You. Take us and fill us and use us.. according to Your will. Thank You for such grace, that You have made us Your own in Christ Jesus our Lord, for it is in His Name that we come. Amen. 

Proverbs 5  The father ( and our Father) has given the clear instructions for gaining and living by wisdom, by the Word, and the warning about what will happen if those instructions are not carefully and diligently pursued and obeyed.  Now, he begins to get more detailed... more specific.. in those instructions.

This chapter focuses on purity, sexual morality, perhaps one of the most difficult areas of human life.  We know that immorality is also one of the most destructive sins in human lives.  It was the same in Solomon's day as it is in ours.  The "adulteress " may entice with "lips like honey" and speech "smoother than oil",  but, " in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword."
In immorality we will find only death, instability, and hell.  To fall for the temptation is to give away your strength, your years, your goods, your health, and to find "utter ruin". 

Wisdom and instruction on the other hand, say:
"Drink from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well." 
"Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth." 
Be satisfied.
Be exhilarated.
Be faithful.

For God is watching.  God will hold you accountable.  Sin will destroy and enslave. The end of sin is always death.
Death of the soul.
Death of the marriage.
Death of joy and peace.

Our culture has ignored and departed from the teaching of the Word, especially in this area.  Immorality is not only embraced, but championed.   How vital it is to teach our children the Truth.
All too soon they grow accustomed to the ways of the world.  We must be intentional and diligent to speak God's wisdom into their lives,  so I pray:

Father in Heaven, You are Light and in You is no darkness at all.  Purify our hearts and minds once again.  Let Your wisdom which is from above... pure, peaceable , gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering and without hypocrisy... fill us, that we may teach our children and grandchildren these truths. We desire life, love, and righteousness that is found in our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, for it is the Name of Jesus we ask this. Amen.

Proverbs 4  Again Solomon repeats, pounding in his point, that we need to listen to the "sound teaching".. the instructions of the father.. of our Father.. we must:
give attention to it
refuse to abandon it
keep it
acquire it
guard it
never turn away or forsake it
prize it
honor it
embrace it
take hold of it
incline our ears to it
watch over our hearts diligently to keep it
fix our gaze on it
watch our paths to keep our feet straight on it

See how important it is to stay in God's Word! And to teach it to our children day and night, as Moses taught in Deuteronomy 6:7 "and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."  We are to "bind" them, these Words of Life, to our hands and to our heads... to know the Word and to do the Word.  This is more important than a great education or a great skill or talent, a successful career, or any amount of money or possessions.

Again, Solomon tells of the benefits of acquiring, purchasing, wisdom and understanding:
She (wisdom)  will guard you and watch over you. 
She will exalt you.
She will honor you.
She will crown you with grace and beauty.
You will have many years of life.
Your paths will not be blocked or impeded.
"And if you run, you will not stumble."
She will lead to life.
She will bring light and more light.
The Word brings life and " health to all their whole body."
Your heart will overflow with "springs of life".
Your ways will be established.

The way of wisdom, the way of righteousness, that begins in the fear of the Lord and is found in His sacred Word, is indeed the key to Life, to all that is "good and acceptable and perfect," (Romans 12:2).  We must not allow ourselves to be "conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove ( discern) what the will of God is..."  God has given us all we need for life, real life, in His Word.

Solomon also adds for us the warning of what happens if we turn away, if we are not diligent, if we let go...
"Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not proceed in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not pass by it; turn away from it and pass on.... (for) the way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble" (v 14,15, 19)

So, what do we do with these words from our Father?  If we believe them and want to obey them, then we will pray and ask the Lord to enable us to be diligent to seek His wisdom and to hear His Voice and to walk in His ways.  We will be more conscientious about teaching the Word to our children and grandchildren. And so I pray:

Father in heaven, Holy and Blessed are You in all the earth!  You are the Creator and Sustainer of Life and You are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in lovingkindness.  Father, fill me now with Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, of power, and of sound minds, that I might acquire wisdom and understanding, that I might keep Your Word and diligently teach Your Word to any and all that come into my life, especially my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Oh Father , I ask, seek, and knock, coming to Your throne of grace, that I might live according to Your Word, to please You in every way and bearing fruit in every good work.  As always, I pray for Your saving grace to bring my loved ones to  faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask this in His Name. Amen.

Proverbs 3 To live in the "fear of the Lord" according to the knowledge He gives and the wisdom He provides is of such great value!  This chapter gives us an account of the many, many benefits of listening and doing what He is teaching:

Length of days  and years of life ; v2
peace;
favor and good repute; v4
straight paths; v6
healing to your body; v8
refreshment to your bones;
barns filled with plenty; v10
vats overflowing;
profits better than silver or gold; v14
long life; v16
riches and honor;
pleasant ways; v17
paths of peace;
happiness; v18
life to the soul; v22
security ; v23
sweet sleep; v24
confidence instead of fear; v 26
intimacy with God; v32
blessings on your home; v33
grace in affliction; v 34
honor; v35

What more could we ask for? And these are just the ones that are given in our life on earth, how much greater are His benefits to us in eternal glory!!

These are God's desires for each of us!  And they are ours as we take His Word into our hearts and trust Him... lean on Him, have confidence in Him, and find our support in Him.  We must learn to not "lean on [our] own understanding".. to not try to support ourselves with what we know, or think we know.  But, "acknowledge Him".. see Him in everything, observe, recognize, sense, be aware, discern, discover.. Him!  He is here, in every path, in every day, in every choice... if we will turn our eyes to Him instead of thinking we our "wise" in ourselves.

There are commandments that God wants us to remember as we walk in His ways.
"Do not let kindness and truth leave you;..." v3
"Honor the Lord from your wealth.." v9
"Do not reject the discipline of the Lord.." v11
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it." v27-28
"Do not devise harm against your neighbor..." v29 
"Do not envy a man of violence , and do not choose any of his ways." v31

Father, All Glorious and Gracious King, we give You praise and bless Your Name.  You are good!  Your ways are wonderful and perfect.  Why do we struggle to submit everything to You?  How do we stray so easily?  Help us, Lord, to keep Your Word, to  bind them to our necks, and write them on the tablets of our hearts.  Give us ears to hear and to obey Your Word by the power of Your Spirit and in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May we be faithful to teach our children and grandchildren the Way of  Truth.  Thank You . amen

Proverbs 2

Verses 1-4 show us the steps that we need to intentionally take ( and teach our children to take) in order to "discern the fear of the Lord, and discover the knowledge of God" ( v5):

1st we must "receive" the Word being taught.
We must treasure it in our hearts - to hide it, protect it, and esteem it.
We must "make [our ears] attentive to wisdom.
We must "incline [our hearts] to understanding"
We must "cry for discernment".
We must pray for understanding.
We must seek it.. as more valuable than money or treasures.

In other words, this is not a casual relationship with the Word of God.  It is not a quick, " Well, I've read my verses.. or chapters.. for today and I'm done..."  kind of devotional time.  To receive it, treasure it, heed it, pray about it, and seek it... means that we must devote time and effort and our full attention, with prayer, as we open our Bibles and read.  It means that we "hear" the Voice of God as we read what He has preserved for us and says to us by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Verses 6-12 tells us that the Word of God, the knowledge of God, comes to us because it is the Lord who "gives wisdom".   It is from His mouth that "knowledge and understanding " comes.  When we treat God's Word this way we find that it is "sound wisdom" - substantial - real, strong, active, reliable.  More than that,  "He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones."  God, Himself, is Present and actively involved in using His Word to lead us so that we can "discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course."  
He will put His wisdom into our hearts.
He will give us knowledge that is "pleasant to " our souls.
He will give us "discretion" that will guard us and "understanding" that will watch over us to "deliver [us] from the way of evil."

The way of God, the way of wisdom, found in His Word delivers us from:
those who speak " perverse things" - frauds
those who walk in darkness
those who delight in doing evil;
those who enjoy doing evil;
those who are crooked;
those who are devious;
those who are immoral;
those who lead to death;

"So you will walk in the way of good men, and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land, and the blameless will remain in it."  ( v20)  While the wicked are "cut off" and "uprooted."

Oh how I wish I had listened better, heeded more, and known these truths in my life!  Don't you?
We must make sure our children and grandchildren learn this!  Let us teach them that the Word of God is of more value than anything the world has to offer for it is God's voice leading us to life.. to everything good and wonderful.. and away from everything evil and deadly!  Let us pray for them to learn these truths.

Father in heaven, this is Your will, may it be done! Amen.

Proverbs 1  Here, the author writes, we will find... wisdom, instruction, understanding, wise behavior, righteousness, justice, equity, prudence, knowledge, and discretion. By hearing, increasing our learning,  and acquiring good counsel, we will prosper in life.  By teaching our children ( and grandchildren) these things, we will give them a chance to live a good life.. a life pleasing to the Lord.  But it has to begin at the most vital point - "the fear of the Lord".  

Verse 8 gives a lesson that we must teach our children from the time they are little.. " Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and do not forsake your mother's teaching."    Children need to be taught how to listen and how to obey their parents.   This assumes that the parents are teaching their children the truth, the Word of God.   Discipline is meant to be instruction in right behavior, not punishment for bad behavior.    We need to lovingly.. gracefully.. mentor our children in biblical righteousness. 

Verses 10-19  Here is a lesson that we need to make sure our children GET... (before they turn into teenagers)...
There are evil people who will try to "entice" them to do wrong, to sin.
They will do everything to get them  to follow their evil paths and to do the awful things that they want to do.
Teach them not to  fall for it!
For "They ambush their own lives."  It is a path that leads  to death.

Verses 20-33 On the other hand, we need to teach our children how to listen to Wisdom.
Wisdom's voice is often snuffed out by the noise of the world, so we need to teach them how to find it, in His Word. (v20-22)
They will need to "turn" to wisdom's "reproof".  The word "turn" in Hebrew is shuwb - and has the idea of returning, retreating, coming home.. drawing back or withdrawing from (the world).   We need to teach our children where to find real answers and truth.  "Reproof"  speaks of correction, chastisement , proof, reasoning.. and rebuke.  It is the argument for what is right.
The reward of those who will listen to wisdom is security and they "shall be at ease from the dread of evil." (v33)  Peace!
But the consequences for refusing to listen to wisdom is calamity, dread, distress, anguish, and destruction. ( v24-32)

We all need to know these truths and to live accordingly.  We can probably point back to times in our own lives where we failed to turn to wisdom's ways and ignored her call.  How much more do we desire for our children and grandchildren to avoid those deadly traps in this day and age?
So, instead of tv, video games, and endless entertainment,  let us make a greater effort to spend time with those who God has given us, to teach them these vital Truths!  I want to be more diligent and intentional about this.. so I pray...

Father in heaven, You are all wise and all powerful.  You are the Voice of wisdom and understanding and Your Word is the source of Life.  Help me... help us, to hear what Your Word says today and then to DO IT!  Give us the will and ability and the opportunity to teach our children and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren Your truth that they might live righteously and wisely with knowledge that is based on the principle of proper fear of our Almighty God.  O, Lord, help us to be faithful in Christ Jesus, to whom we give glory and honor and praise. Amen.

Revelation 16-22

These chapters are so descriptive and yet so mysterious.   The seven bowls of wrath are poured out upon the earth.  The great harlot, Babylon, falls.  The dragon and the beasts are thrown into the lake of fire.  The war between the nations and the King of kings is waged. The judgement takes place before the throne of God.  The new Jerusalem is revealed and the wedding feast of the Lamb occurs.

The message is repeated... "I am coming quickly".. All of this revelation is given for the sake of those who believe in Jesus.  This is for us.  That we might hold on, overcome, trust, and be prepared for those things that will take place.

Though we do not know how or when all these things will happen, we can know this, " Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city."( 22:14)

Another song comes to mind:

Come, we that love the Lord,

And let our joys be known;

Join in a song with sweet accord,

Join in a song with sweet accord,

And thus surround the throne,

And thus surround the throne.

 Chorus

We're marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful Zion,

We're marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God. 

Verse 4

Then let our songs abound

and every tear be dry;

We're marching through Emmanuel's ground,

We're marching through Emmanuel's ground,

To fairer worlds on high,

To fairer worlds on high.

For the joy that is set before us... we lay down our lives and take up our crosses and follow Him. 

As the old song goes.. " It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus"!!!

Father in heaven,  Hallowed... hallowed be Your Name!  May Your Kingdom come!  May Your will be done, on earth as it is done in heaven.  Give us this day, our daily bread.  Forgive us our trespasses as we now forgive any who have trespassed against us.  Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.  For, Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen!