Tag: pro21

Quantity vs Quality!

If we thought the Temple from yesterday’s reading was astounding, today’s reading not only finishes describing the Temple but also mentions Solomon’s palace complex!

Notice an interesting detail concerning his palace. Solomon also built a palace for himself, and it took him thirteen years to complete the construction. (1 Kings 7:1, NLT) While Solomon’s house was made from the same material as the Temple, constructing it took almost twice as long. There was his palace, this wife’s palace, a grand throne hall, and an elaborate hall of pillars. Something is starting to emerge: Solomon lusts for the finer things in life, and everything is done on a grand scale. Interesting, isn’t it, considering his father was a shepherd?

As I thought about the extravagance surrounding Solomon, I couldn’t help but think of some of the proverbs he wrote. Though Solomon had hundreds of wives and a massive palace, he concluded that it was better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 21:9, 25:24). He wrote, A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate. (Proverbs 15:17, NLT) He also wrote, Better to have little, with fear for the Lord, than to have great treasure and inner turmoil. (Proverbs 15:16, NLT) Solomon was a conflicted man. He speaks from experience about this inner turmoil.

How sad that the wisest man to have ever lived had quantity in life but not quality of life. While he had it all, something was still missing. What a caution for us to avoid getting caught up in the vanity of quantity while losing the quality of life. Only God is both quantity and quality of life! Pursue Him!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from 1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4.

Associations!

Stay away! Don’t get close! Don’t associate! Don’t befriend! The Book of Proverbs instructs us to avoid certain people in today’s reading. The danger is that these people’s lifestyle, ruin, and end will become ours in time. We are all more easily influenced than we realize.

First up are the corrupt or crooked. They walk a thorny and treacherous road, and those who value life will avoid them (Proverbs 22:5). It is better to live an honest and happy life than constantly watch your back and eventually get caught in your snare. Avoid this person!

Don’t befriend an angry person or associate with the hot-tempered (Proverbs 22:24–25)! Angry people produce angry people. They are full of pride, arrogance, and sinfulness (Proverbs 21:24, 29:22).

Don’t eat with the stingy (Proverbs 23:6–8)! They don’t care about you; you are only a unit of measure to them. They are very judgmental, always judging your actions. Don’t waste your time eating with them!

Don’t hang out with the drunkard or the glutton (Proverbs 23:20–21)! These people are on their way to poverty. The drunkard lives a hard life (Proverbs 23:29–35), and the glutton lacks self-control and is lazy. Everything falls apart around the lazy (Proverbs 24:30–34).

Lastly, don’t associate with the rebellious (Proverbs 24:21–22)! The disobedient are destructive, and destruction comes upon them suddenly and usually without remedy (Proverbs 6:14–15). Stay away from them!

It is better to associate, befriend, and eat with the humble, honest, generous, those of good reputation, the pure of heart, and those of gracious speech and character. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. (Proverbs 13:20, ESV)

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Proverbs 22-24.

Planning and success!

Are you a planner? This morning’s reading has several verses about planning. Interestingly, planning has two sides: what we are trying to accomplish and God’s purpose. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)

So, if God’s purpose will stand, should we be making plans? Yes! Planning is a positive thing. Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity (Proverbs 21:5). Plans succeed through good counsel (Proverbs 20:18). In the New Testament, sitting down to plan and count the cost is a positive thing (Luke 14:28–29). Don’t go to war without first preparing (Proverbs 21:31)! Planning is necessary for success. At the same time, for all the planning, man cannot outwit the purpose of God (Proverbs 21:30).

From these two sides of the same coin—that planning is important and God’s purpose will not be thwarted—we see that success is realized when we acknowledge God and ask Him for direction from the start (Proverbs 3:5–6). In other words, God shows us the path, and we plan the steps. Planning our steps on the right path makes a big difference! 

Lastly, Proverbs mentions something about planning that we all likely have faced. The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? (Proverbs 20:24, NLT) Not every plan goes according to plan! We also can’t think of everything! In other words, be flexible! Some things are too small to sweat—it’s not worth that stress level. Sometimes, big things happen that we didn’t see coming—so adjust and move on. Yes, while we do our best and plan, we still must trust God! Acknowledge, plan, and trust; these make for good success!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Proverbs 19-21.

God’s power vs. man’s heart!

I came across the plagues this morning in my chronological Bible reading plan. Wow! I have known about these plagues since I was a little kid, but each time I read them, it is as exciting to me as though I am a little kid- something amazing always stands out!

The Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. The human heart is one tough cookie! The plagues are certainly an amazing demonstration of God’s power. Yet, God’s power to affect the human heart is astounding! This verse in Proverbs is fascinating to me. “The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord; he guides it wherever he pleases.” (Proverbs 21:1, NLT) Another demonstration of this power is Ezra’s testimony. “Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem!” (Ezra 7:27, NLT)

Over the years, I have seen some hardened hearts. I have seen those hearts crumble under the power of the Gospel. The power of the Gospel is greater than the stubbornness of man’s heart! Let’s be encouraged! We can pray to our God, who has the power to change hearts!

Are you dealing with some tough hearts in your life? Are you frustrated with your heart’s hardness? Don’t give up! God is greater than the hardness. Don’t be discouraged; ask God to change those hearts. He can!