Proclaim Ministries

In our world, certain hand motions mean certain things. Sometimes, they mean different things in different cultures. Our verse today relates to one certain hand motion that we should probably do more often: putting our hand over our mouths. Proverbs 30:31 says, “If you have been foolish exalting yourself, or have been devising evil, put your hand to your mouth.” This phrase is also mentioned in the book of Job when Job was talking to his friend, but basically doing this meant you needed to stop something. In this Proverb, he's saying to stop doing two things: 1) stop exalting yourself, and 2) stop devising evil. The first is a humility issue. Our world today is very focused on exalting ourselves. It's all about securing high places and titles for ourselves, and saying, “Look at me, look at me.” But remember when we talked about how wisdom in the Bible says not to put yourself in the seat of honor at the table lest you be shamed by being asked to move to a lower position? And if you've been devising evil? Stop that, too. Neither of these things will have good outcomes. Promoting yourself should not be our focus. The book of Philippians tells us we should be considering others better than ourselves. It's not about us. We should only make our boast in the LORD. However, we also have this thing called false humility. For example, if you're a singer and someone comes up to you after a performance and says, “Great job, you have an amazing voice!” and you're like, “Oh, it wasn't me, it was all the LORD,” etc. Look, you can say thank you. It's okay to accept a compliment. But on the other hand, we shouldn't go fishing for compliments either. It's not good for us to be prideful. Let's read our verse again: “If you have been foolish exalting yourself, or have been devising evil, put your hand to your mouth.” In other words, just stop it. If you're devising evil, keep in mind that the Bible teaches that we reap what we sow. If you're devising evil, it will come back around to you; there will be a consequence. So let's get wisdom.

As we read through the Proverbs, it's important to remember that these sayings aren't promises. God is not necessarily bound to these things, but they are truisms, things that typically come true. I really hope today's verse comes true. It's a good one. Our verse for today is Proverbs 29:17. It says, “Discipline your son and he will give you rest; he will give the light to your heart.” I hope this is true for both my son and my daughter. Let's talk about how to apply it the right way. When most people think of discipline, they tend to only think of one aspect of discipline: correction. But I think discipline has at least two different elements to it: correction and instruction. Discipline is not just about getting kids back for their wrongs. Sometimes we expect our kids to know things that we know, but we haven't yet trained them to know these things. We need to learn to be patient with them and to instruct them as we correct their behavior.These are the teachable moments of which we should take advantage. My wife and I are trying many different techniques as we're raising our kids. My son is about to turn 3, and sometimes it's so frustrating to discipline him. It takes a lot of energy, and sometimes I'm just worn out and I don't want to do it. But it's worth it in the end, and I can already see some of the benefits and the fruit of our labor. For example, in our house we've been working on the idea that when my kids don't get something they want, it's okay for them to be disappointed and sad, but it's not okay for them to blow up in anger. It's been great to see them often times, when they hear me say no, to respond back with, “Okay.” These moments remind me that we need to be diligent in disciplining our children well because 1) God commands us to, 2) it's good for them, and 3) it's good for us. So it's hard work, but it's worth it. The other night my son woke up in the middle of the night and started yelling, “I need to go pee!” So we got up, I took him to the bathroom, and when we got there, he started telling me he hadn't been calling for me, but that he wanted my wife instead. My first thought was, “I don't want to be up either, boy! I want to be in bed, but Mama didn't get up!” But instead I patiently chose to say, “Well, when you need help, you get help from whoever is available to help you.” And I got him to get up and use the bathroom, and as I picked him up to carry him back to his bed, he hugged me and said, “I love you.” A minute ago he didn't want me, but being faithful in discipline that includes instruction pays off. It's important, as parents, to know both aspects of discipline. It's important to have ideas both for how to correct and for how to instruct, so our children grow. I did a series called “Consequences that Work,” and in that series I talk about how consequences that work well need to be explained and they need to be customized. Children need to know what consequences to expect before they get themselves into situations. That way, when our kids make a bad choice, the responsibility is on them. They knew what would happen, so they can't be mad at anyone but themselves, and it teaches them responsibility for their own actions. And in doing this, we don't have to lose any unnecessary sleep over it. They knew the consequences, and it was their choice to earn the consequence, not ours to put it on them. And that gives us rest. Let's read our verse one more time: “Discipline your son and he will give you rest; he will give the light to your heart,” Proverbs 29:17.

Recently, there was a story on the news about a guy who's a graffiti artist. He went and vandalized someone else's property; he went and put up his artwork on someone else's building without asking. Then a magazine was looking for a place to do a photo shoot, and they decided to use the building with this man's artwork. This made the graffiti artist upset, so he's suing the magazine for using his artwork without permission…that he illegally put up. I can't wait to see how this works out. Our verse today is Proverbs 28:5. It says, “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.” When he says “evil men do not understand justice,” I think he's talking about people who reject the LORD, people who have not chosen to follow God. They don't understand justice because they're not seeking God. I think that's the most evil thing possible—to reject the God who made you. Not acknowledging the one who gives you breath is evil. If we reject or deny God and his justice, then we become our own standard of righteousness. This is so common in our world today. Whatever fits our needs is okay, because we've essentially become our own gods. Consider this quote: “God made man in his own image, and we return the favor.” We make a God that suits our needs. Many of us are guilty of this on different levels. But the second part of the verse says, “but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.” When we seek the LORD, we can see and understand justice clearly and correctly. God is the rightful standard of justice, because he made all things. It's sad how hard it is for us believers to speak up today about what is truth, because people don't want to hear it; instead, they want their own god. But this verse says that “those who seek the LORD understand it completely.” Sometimes we as believers can become very frustrated when people reject God's truth and it becomes easy to lose focus. We need to remember that these people need the LORD. Their problem isn't necessarily whatever particular topic we're disagreeing on; their ultimate problem is that they need God. We often try to fix people by making them more moral because that makes us more comfortable, when really they first need the foundation of knowing God. We tend to get that backwards. God has not called us to simply be moral people; we're called to receive and trust in Christ. Of course evil men won't see things justly; they don't have the capacity to do so without Christ. So as we pray for non-Christians, let's make it our prayer not only that they would be moral, but that they would come to know the God that made them. Here's our verse one last time: “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely,” (Proverbs 28:5).

Have you ever seen the show American Idol? If you haven't, it's a reality show with singers competing for the prize. When it first started, people would get up on stage and sing who could not sing, couldn't even carry a tune. I know it's all part of the show, and that reality television is not exactly reality, but when those people got all upset, I'm thinking either A) this is fake, or B) those people didn't have anyone who loved them enough to tell them they can't sing. No one would tell them the hard truth. That's what true friends do. (If you ever see me auditioning for American Idol, tell me no! I can't sing! PLEASE stop me before I make a fool of myself on national TV!) Our verse today has something to do with this, with true friendship. Proverbs 27:6 says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” This is so important for us as friends, and for those who are friends to us. Have you ever heard these sayings? “Friends don't let friends drink and drive.” Or, “friends don't let friends ruin their lives.” Sometimes we have people in our lives who are fake, or phony. They'll be sucking up to you, trying to get you to like them to your face, but talking about you behind your back. We need true friends that will tell us when we're going down the wrong path. We need friends that love us enough to lose our friendship. I had a girl come talk to me once who had a friend who was on drugs and in with the wrong crowd. She was afraid for her friend, and she wanted to tell her parents what was going on, but she was afraid she would lose her friendship. I asked her, “Do you love your friend enough to do the right thing for her, even if it costs you her friendship?” She said yes, so I told her then that she needed to make that call. Would she really be loving her if she didn't get her help, and then she ends up addicted to drugs? We need to speak the truth to others in love. If we're going to be true friends to people, we need to stop trying to tiptoe around or beat around the bush. We don't need to say things rudely or call people stupid, but we can still call our friends out when they're going astray. The verse says “faithful are the wounds of a friend”—it may hurt! It may bother us in the moment when our friends call us out, but it's so much better than having people sit back while we ruin our lives. So let's speak the truth in love. Will you be willing to hear when family and friends speak hard truths into your lives? We all have blind spots in our lives where we need critique and constructive criticism. It can be hard to hear, but we need people to walk alongside us who can point these things out to us, and we need to be willing to listen to these people. They're our true friends. Here's our verse one last time: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy,” (Proverbs 27:6). So be a true friend, and surround yourself with true friends. Together, we can get wisdom.

As you may already know, I have the privilege of being a motivational speaker in public schools through Hello Mr. Brown and the Choose Well program. I get to do assemblies and classroom visits and sometimes some one-on-one mentoring, but my favorite is small group talks. I often end up talking with a group of boys about how to make good choices and have self-control. I often tell them this: if you don't control yourself, someone will have to control you for you. This relates to our verse today. Proverbs 25:28 – “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” We often tend to be very impulsive. We think something and we do it; we think it, and we do it. We don't think about the consequences until later. So when I speak to kids, I try to encourage them to think about the consequences before hand. It's kind of like playing chess: you need to strategize, understand what your opponent's future moves might be, and most importantly, plan your own next moves carefully. Let's go back to the idea that if you don't control yourself, someone else will have to control you for you. When I'm talking to kids, I often use the example of people in prison. For those who are in prison justly, who did something wrong and earned the consequence, it's likely that they are there because they suffered from a lack of self-control and did something they shouldn't have done. Therefore, someone else now controls them; someone tells them what they can and cannot do. But we should be people of self-control. I also use this illustration with students: pretend when you get home one day that the walls of your home are gone. Everything else is still there and in place, but the walls are gone. What would happen to your stuff? It would get wet, it might get stolen, and you might not be able to sleep well at night for fear. In the Bible, we read about cities with walls around them; they were there for protection. Like Jericho. God instructed Joshua to march around the wall and then it crumbled so they could go in and attack. So what I'm getting from this verse is that, like city walls protect cities, self-control protects us. Being able to control your impulses keeps you from giving your strength away to others when you give in to a lack of self-control. I think of the issue of gun-control. I know this is a difficult and controversial topic, and there are a lot of grieving people as a result of school shootings and whatnot. But if we look only at the guns themselves, we won't get anywhere, because deeper down, this is an issue of the heart, and of self-control. We should have self-control in the kinds of media we consume related to this; it affects how we think whether we like it or not. The point is this: what we consume will one day consume us. What we allow into our minds through our eyes and our ears impacts the way we live our lives. We have to have self-control not only in what we do outwardly, but also in what we do inwardly, or privately. The bottom line is that we learn to have some self-control. We also need to learn a little about delayed gratification. We can't always have what we want immediately. This is especially important for children. They need to learn how to accept no as an answer so that when they get yes as an answer, they have the capacity to accept it. Teaching our kids to handle “no” well is a great way to teach them self-control. It's okay to be sad or disappointed, but not to blow up in anger. Here's our verse of the day one more time: “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls,” (Prov 25:28). Make sure you have the wall of protection in your life that is self-control.

In This Episode The book of Proverbs talks a lot about fools, foolishness, and folly. You'll hear those words a lot as you go through this book. When a fool does something foolish, and then returns to his foolish ways over and over rather than learning from them…that's folly! That's foolishness! Our verse today talks about this.   Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” This verse is kind of gross. That's some gross imagery. This is also why I don't have a dog. I think they're gross. I don't want to have to clean up after them, and sometimes they smell kind of gross. I'm not trying to put down dogs or dog lovers, I just don't enjoy them.   When fools do foolish things, there are natural consequences that are unpleasant and unwelcome. But fools return to these things continually. Why would you do that? Just like a dog returning to its vomit…why? Why would you do that?   Why do we continue to sin over and over? I've been going through a book called The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges, and he says that it's often because we're more focused on victory than we are on obedience. Victory is focused on me, while obedience is focused on God. God hates sin, and all sin is against God. So for us to go back to our sin, even when we know it's wrong, that's like us returning to eat our own vomit. That's not good.   God is holy, and he deserves our holiness. As people of God, if we're choosing to walk with God, then we need to turn away from our sin. We will always make mistakes, but it's important that we learn from it, and then turn from it. We need to repent and turn away from our sin and towards God.   As parents, we can sometimes feel like hypocrites when we tell our kids over and over not to make the same mistakes that we did. It's like, “Well, I did that, so can I really tell you not to?” But actually, I think that's wise. We know that what we did was a mistake, and we're trying to help our kids learn from it without making the same mistake themselves. That's wisdom. Don't be afraid to speak up and speak truth when you know something is wrong.   Let's read our verse one more time. Proverbs 26:11 – “Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Gross. Instead of doing that, let's get wisdom.

Today, we have two verses of the day.  Proverbs 24:1-2. They say, “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.” The idea is this: sometimes we find ourselves comparing ourselves to other people. I think that's the start of envy, when we look at other people. Quote Andy Stanley once said, “There is no win in comparison.” You will never win by comparing yourself to other people. Sometimes we like to compare ourselves to people who we think are a little bit lesser than we are. Or we may compare ourselves to people who have what we want, or who we think are better off than we are. Either way, we are going to lose because we don't know the whole story. We can't pick and choose the good without the bad. Instead, we should stay focused on ourselves, and on God. When we focus on others, or on what we don't have, we become envious. I looked up the word envy on Google and it said, “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or even their luck.” It's important that we don't fall into this trap. Unfortunately, I think social media often leads us to fall into this trap. We may start by just looking, but we begin to browse longer and longer, and somehow everybody else's life starts to seem better. But that's not true. We tell false narratives on our social media accounts, because they aren't telling the whole story. Have you ever found yourself growing envious of someone you know isn't doing the right thing, because you want what they have? I know I have. But our verses today tell us not to envy these evil people. Why? Because “their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.” I know this can be tough. But what do you really want in life? Do you want the temporary satisfaction gained by doing the wrong thing? Or do you want lasting peace and satisfaction from walking with the LORD in the way of wisdom? Proverbs & Psalms These verses make me think of one of my favorite Psalms: Psalm 73. I love it because Asaph tells a story here. He starts off following God, but he gets distracted and loses his focus. Let's read it: Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3 For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. I love that the Bible doesn't hide from us that these people weren't perfect. They were broken people, just like you and me. We can relate to them. 4 For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. 6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. 7 Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. 8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. 9 They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. 10 Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. He begins to tell himself a false narrative, that all these people are doing well, and he became envious of evil people. But he could only see the outside. Let's skip down: 16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, 17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. 18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! 20 Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. 21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, 22 I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. 23 Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength[b] of my heart and my portion forever. 27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. 28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works. He began to see things clearly. He had to understand who and where he really was. He knew he got off track, but he got back on track. Maybe you need to do this, too. Find sanctuary with God. Maybe that means going to church, maybe it means praying. If you don't feel like praying, tell that to God. Be vulnerable and transparent with the Creator of the universe, because he knows it all anyway. Let's read our verse one more time – Proverbs 24:1-2. “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them; for their hearts devise violence, and their lips talk of trouble.” Get wisdom, walk with the LORD, and don't be envious of others. Remember: “There's no win in comparison.”

Choices matter, so choose well. Let's get some wisdom. One of the joys in my life is that I get to go speak to children at schools about making good choices. My ultimate message is this: when you make better choices, you will live a better life. If you want more information about this, visit hellomisterbrown.com. But this isn't a selfish plug of mine. It's the idea about our verse for today. This verse helps us see that our choices not only impact us, but they impact others, as well. Let's check it out. Proverbs 23:25 says, “Let your father and your mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.” Students: make choices in your life that will help you live a better life. Your choices will affect you now and in the future, but they will affect those around you, your siblings, your parents, aunts, uncles, and anybody else. I know your parents may sometimes pressure you to do certain things. I don't always want you to live under the pressure of trying to please your parents; but I do want you to choose well, and to live a better life. Whatever you do, make choices that will honor your parents and honor yourself. Be a person of respect, honesty, and integrity. When you have these character traits, they will help you live a better life, and it will end up pleasing your parents too. Parents: Make sure you focus on the essential things. It's nice to have career goals for your children, but what if they aren't geared for the career you want for them? What if they want to go into the arts instead of being the doctor that you want them to be? They may not want to be what we want; we don't get to live out our dreams through them. We want to make sure we keep the main things the main things: that they have a fear of the LORD; that they love the LORD with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength; that they love and trust in Christ; and that they are making choices that honor Him. All the other stuff will fall into place. Students, it's important for us to choose well, and when we do, it will make your parents proud, and it will honor them, even if it looks different than they thought it might. I hope that my children make choices that I can be proud of, and I also hope that I make choices that my mother is proud of. Of course, our ultimate goal is to please Christ, but if I do that, she'll be pleased with me, too. One more time: “Let your father and your mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice,” (Proverbs 23:25).

There is a lot of division in our world today. People have difference—we are different—but sometimes I think we focus too much on the differences instead of on what we have in common. We will continue to be divided as long as we ignore the value we have in how much we have in common. Today's verse talks about this in light of the rich and the poor. What they have in common is greater than how they are different. Our verse today is Proverbs 22:2 – “The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all.” I love this verse. Sometimes we equate our differences into different values. We look at wealthy people as better than poor people because of their monetary worth. Instead of ascribing to be people of honor and integrity, we ascribe to be people who obtain: wealth, possessions, etc. But we need to be careful not to ascribe value to people based on how much money they have, because our verse today reminds us that we are all made by the same Creator. We all get our value because we are His, not from anything else. One day I was talking to kids in my Sunday School class; we were talking about the image of God and what makes each of us special. One boy raised his hand and shared, “Mr. Brown, I'm special because I have autism.” And I reminded him that yes, he has autism, but that's not what makes him special or valuable. He is valuable because he is made in God's image. Our looks, our talents, or anything else…these don't give us value. Only God does. One day, while I was at Starbucks, I saw a man heading toward me. He was missing a shoe, and looked pretty poor and ragged. And I wondered what was going to happen. I was a little uncomfortable. And then God reminded me suddenly that this man was still created in God's image, and that he is of equal worth. Now, because of sin, choices made all the way back in the Garden of Eden, this image has been marred, but the value has always been there. Satan wants it to be covered, but the value is still there. In light of this, don't look down on others because of a lack of success, or elevate them because they are successful. This isn't where our value comes from. Also, keep in mind that we're all accountable to the same God. Rich people will be accountable for what they have and who they choose to be, just as the poor will be accountable for what they have and who they choose to be. So don't ever allow anyone to make you feel less than, because you have been made in the image of God. Your value comes from him. “The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the maker of them all,” (Proverbs 22:2).

Ooooooh, you in trouble. If you hadn't said that, you probably wouldn't be in trouble, but you said it. You're in trouble. You might want to get some wisdom. Today's verse is kind of repetitive. But the truth is, it's good to review things. The Bible repeats itself a lot, and I think it's because we don't listen the first time. We can be kind of hard headed. Our verse today talks about our tongue, our mouth, and getting ourselves in trouble. Proverbs 21:23 – “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” We need to guard our mouths and learn to be quiet at times. Just because you think it does not mean you need to say it. We have to be proactive in what we think and say, to put a guard or a key over our mouths. Remember Proverbs 13:3? “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens his mouth wide comes to ruin.” Proverbs 12:13 says, “An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous escape from trouble.” Proverbs 14:3 – “By the mouth of a fool comes the rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them” We need to be careful when we speak. I'm working on this in my own life, especially in meetings at church. I was just talking to the administrative pastor at my church about this. When we're in meetings, I could probably say something about everything. Does it all need to be said? No. And I know that. So I have to be careful what I say, and choose when I need to speak up, and when I should stay quiet. I don't always have to say what's on my mind. My father-in-law often tells his wife, “I should get credit for what I didn't say.” I like that! I could have said something, but I kept my mouth closed so I wouldn't get myself into trouble. Now, I know that's not the perfect mindset to have; I don't need credit for having the self-control to not say something I shouldn't, but it's a sign that I'm growing, because I kept my mouth shut. I grew up as a very impulsive teenager. If I wanted to say or do something, I did. But our verse today warns against that. If you struggle with this like I do, read the Proverbs and get some wisdom: “Whoever keeps his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble,” (Proverbs 21:23).

“When you choose to sin, you choose to suffer.” – James MacDonald. Let's talk about this. Our verse for today is Proverbs 20:17. It says, “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterword his mouth will be full of gravel.” This goes along with that quote I shared. When we choose to sin, it only leads to suffering. Even if it doesn't seem like it, there are always consequences for going against God's way. Gaining things by deceit? That's stealing. When I was younger, I would go into the local McDonald's where my friends worked. We'd just give them a head nod and go sit down, and then my friends would just bring out free food. Managers can make this decision, but workers don't have this privilege. That was stealing. That food was gained by deceit. Sometimes it can feel good in the moment, but there's always a consequence whether you see it or not.   This makes me think of Joshua. Joshua was the leader of the Israelites after Moses. God told Joshua he was going to lead them into the Promised Land. After the battle of Jericho, God told Joshua to command the Israelites not to take anything from the city. But somebody didn't listen and took valuables from the city that they weren't supposed to take in secret. Well, they went to fight their next battle against a smaller army, and they should have easily won, but they didn't. They lost miserably, so the Israelites were asking God, “Hey, what happened?” And the LORD told them that his commandment had been broken, so Joshua had to figure out who had stolen, and then he put that man and his family to death. That stolen stuff probably felt good in the moment, but it ended up stealing his life. Sin has consequences. It's so important for us to understand that sin, whether it's stealing or sexual immorality, or whatever, it might feel great in the moment, but the consequences will catch up eventually. I want to encourage you to not just have short-term thinking about what feels good right now. Instead, let's have long-term thinking. How will our choices affect us later? Let's trust the LORD, and choose to do the right thing.

I'm a pretty competitive person, and I like to play games. And I really like to win. But there's a game we should never play, because we will never win: the “Blame Game.” Don't play the “Blame Game.” Instead, get wisdom. Here's how the “Blame Game” works: you make a mistake or a bad choice, and there's a consequence that comes as a result. Instead of owning up to your actions, you blame everybody else for what took place. This is probably one of the most highly played games in the world. It started all the way back in the Garden of Eden with Adam—when he and Eve sinned by eating the fruit they were forbidden to eat, Adam blamed God for giving him Eve. But we shouldn't blame God for our sin. Our verse of the day talks about this. In Proverbs 19:3, it says, “When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD.” This is the idea that when our folly brings us to inevitable consequences, we tend to get mad at God. Even if you didn't get caught, don't think you got away with it, because God knows. So what do we do? We try to blame the Creator of the universe. Think about that, not only personally, but also as a nation. When things go wrong, we want to blame God. But thank God for grace. We should follow the LORD instead of following the way of foolishness, but we will still sin. We've all done something foolish. This is where we should be thankful for the grace of God. When we repent, he doesn't give us the punishment of death that we deserve. Instead, he gives us grace. We should turn away from our foolishness and follow the way of wisdom…that's God's way. So stop playing the “Blame Game.” No matter where you came from, you didn't get to choose how your life began, your hair color, your skin color, who your parents are. But you do get to choose how your life continues. No matter what other people do or say to you, you get to choose how you respond. Don't follow the way of foolishness, follow the way of wisdom. Follow God, and live your lives according to His prescription. Let's read our verse one more time: “When a man's folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD,” (Proverbs 19:3). So don't play the “Blame Game,” because you will lose. Instead, choose to win by seeking wisdom. Oh, yeah.

We live in a world full of short messages: Tweets, video clips, Instagram and Facebook posts. We also live in a world full of different opinions. We're opinionated people. We have our thoughts on something, and we don't usually want to open our minds to hear other people out. Sometimes we make up our minds before even giving the other side a chance to explain where they're coming from. Our verse for the day has something to say about this. Originally, our verse for the day was going to be Proverbs 18:2, which says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinions.” This is relevant to our culture today. I hope you're not that kind of person. Don't be close-minded. This verse applies to our new verse for the day, Proverbs 18:13. It says, “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” I think this is talking about the fact that our pride can cause us to think we have all the answers. But we need to slow down and hear the whole story. Have you ever heard a topic come up, and you find yourself deeply entrenched on one side with no desire to hear the other side? This verse reminds us that this is to our folly and shame. Hearing the other side of a situation helps us realize that, often times, it is far more complicated than we thought. Sometimes we think of these kinds of topics without realizing that they affect real people. We think of gun control, abortion, homosexuality—these are crucial issues in society, and we must talk about them, but we have to understand that these are dealing with people's lives. The Word of God deals with these issues, but we have to be open to hearing the whole story. Not just the side we want to hear, but hearing the whole story before we come to a conclusion. Some issues are black and white because the Bible deems them so, but even then, we should be careful how we communicate that. It should be done with love and grace. Read our verse of the day again: “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame,” (Prov. 18:13). Then look at verse 17: “The one who states his cause first seems right, until the other one comes and examines him.” A lot of times we only hear one side of the story, whoever is talking loudest. It's easy to decide that this side is right before hearing what the other side has to say. We have to learn to listen. The book of James tells us we should be quick to listen and slow to speak and anger. The more I learn about life, the more I realize that I don't know very much. There's so much more for me to learn about, and I need to be cautious not to make up my mind ahead of time. It's easy to get caught up in the whole “he said, she said” routine of gossip, but there's always more to the story. Instead, let's choose to hear the whole story before responding. If we do that, we will #GetWisdom.

I am not big on camping: mosquitoes, bugs, animals, and the worst of all, bears. I don't want to meet one. Our verse today talks about meeting something worse than a bear robbed of its cubs. Stick with us to find out what! Our verse today is Proverbs 17:12, which says, “Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly.” It's better to meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs than a fool. What?! I have a friend Jill who once went camping, not in a cabin or even a tent, but just with a backpack and a sleeping bag. When she came back, she told me she thought a bear had come into her campsite the night before! I cannot imagine meeting a bear. She could have been that bear's dinner. Can you imagine meeting a mother bear who thought you had taken her cubs? Yikes. Well, our verse today tells us it is much worse to meet a fool in his foolishness. When I was growing up, I knew a lot of people in gangs. But I also knew some wanna-bes. You know, they lived in the suburbs, and their parents had more money, but they walked around the hood with their pants sagging, and they wanted to fit in with the gang-banger crowd. These people, these wanna-bes, were more dangerous because they were willing to do anything to try and prove that they were part of the gang. When you mess around with people who may be foolish, you must be careful. You could end up being accountable for stuff that they've done. Don't run with the people who are making foolish decision after foolish decision, and who are neglecting discipline and reproof. “Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs rather than a fool in his folly,” Proverbs 17:12. Be careful who you deal with, and how you deal with them, because that is some dangerous stuff.

Did you know you cannot make everybody happy all the time? You just can't do it. Our goal should be to please One. According to our verse today, that might even please our enemies. Thanks for joining us for Day 16 of our series #GetWisdom! I must admit, I've been trying to make these videos shorter, but I feel like I'm failing. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying them, and learning from them. Hopefully today's is a little shorter. Our verse today is Proverbs 16:7. It says, “When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” Again, this is not a promise, but a saying that is typically true of life. This is a tough one. We're always trying to please somebody, but really we should be focused on trying to please God. As long as He's happy, I'm good. I spoke at a weekend retreat once, and a girl who was helping lead worship came up to me after a session and asked me if anyone had ever told me they don't like the way I speak. I said, “Yes, why?” She told me someone had told her they didn't like they way she leads worship. That's tough, but I asked her, “Are you leading worship to please those people?” She said, “No, I lead worship to please the LORD.” I told her of an older music album entitled “An Audience of One” and asked her what she thought it meant: that she should be singing for an audience of One: God. It only matters if we are pleasing God. We seek only to please the LORD. People are wishy-washy; we want one thing one minute, and a different thing the next. We have to learn to please the LORD, who is constant. 2 Corinthians 5:9 says, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.” And Colossians 2:10 says, “So as to walk in a matter worthy of the LORD, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing the knowledge of God.” Paul is praying here for the Colossians, that they would keep their focus on the LORD. Let's get back to our verse for the day. When we are focused on pleasing the LORD, God will work out great things. When we're focused on being honest, truthful people of integrity, even if people don't like us, they'll respect us. When I was younger, I saw a lot of gang activity in my neighborhood. I wasn't involved with these people; the only time I'd hang out with them was when they'd pull out the basketball hoop, and I'd play basketball with them. Well, I remember when one of these guys got shot and killed…it was actually on my front lawn. The following morning I walked out to my car, and one of these guys told me he and his friends respected me. I think he was trying to acknowledge that even though I did my own thing, I didn't run the streets with them, they respected my choices. Even if you don't like someone, if they have integrity, don't you respect them? I once saw this quote at a school: “I'd much rather be hated for who I am than to be liked for who I am not.” We so often struggle with trying to fit in with the crowd, but is this worth it if we don't like ourselves? Is it worth it if we're not pleasing God? Let's read our verse of the day one more time. Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” God is the one we should seek to please.

When people say crazy things to you, do you respond or react? There's a huge difference between responding and reacting. Responding is a more thoughtful process where you took a minute to think about your words or actions. Reacting, on the other hand, is just immediately saying or doing whatever comes to mind. Our verse today talks about the difference between responding and reacting, especially when it comes to our words. Far too often, we become bothered or offended by other people's actions, or we misunderstand, and we fly off the handle unnecessarily. When people say things to us that might cause us to react this way, we need to be ready to respond appropriately. Our verse today is Proverbs 15:1. It says, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” The idea is that if someone says something to you and you respond in a thoughtful way to deescalate the situation as opposed to escalating it, things will be better. On the flip side, if how we speak back escalates things, then we're likely reacting out of anger. When deciding how to respond, we should consider what we want the ultimate outcome to be. What do we want to see happen as the confrontation occurs? If you want to end up in a fight, then fuel the fire. If you want to calm things down, learn how to give a soft answer. One of the biggest struggles we have with this is that we usually want to be right. But really we should ask ourselves: do you want to be right, or do you want to be heard? Sometimes you can be both, but how you respond in these situations matters. We often don't care how our words come across, we just want to be right; but we should care. This verse makes me think of a time back when I was in school where a white kid who was much smaller than me came up and called me the “n-word.” I knew if we fought that there was no way he could win, so what was he trying to do? He was intentionally trying to make me mad so that I'd hit him and get in trouble for starting a fight. But I didn't fall for it, because I chose to think and respond after doing so. What I responded with wasn't the wisest, but I did think carefully enough to not hit him first. Instead, I said something to make him mad. I wish I had had the Proverbs in my life back then. I wish I had known to give a soft answer to turn away wrath.   Think about your own life. When people try to push your buttons, whether they mean to do so or not, how can you deescalate the situation instead of reacting out of anger? Let's choose to give soft answers.

Are you the type of person that talks about what you're going to do more than you actually do it? Or do you know people like this? I sometimes fall into this category, so today's verse really made me think. Today's verse is Proverbs 14:23. It says, “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.” Sometimes we talk about doing something and treat it as if it's the same as actually doing that thing. That's lazy. Proverbs tells us there is profit and benefit in working hard, whether it results in money or in creating a better you. Look at it this way. When it comes to athletes, we often only see short clips, the highlights of their careers. What we don't see is the hard work they put in to get themselves where they are. We don't see the 5:00a.m. wake-up times, the hot dogs they trade in for healthy food, the practices, the trials…we just see the slam dunks and home runs. Or maybe you see channels on YouTube with millions of subscribers that are making a lot of money, and you decide you want to do the same thing. Then you make a video and only two people watch it, and you realize it's not working. All we see are the videos that made it big; what we don't see are the piles of videos that these successful people posted first that didn't make it. If you want to achieve anything in life, it is going to take hard work. There is profit in all toil. But just talking about it will leave you broke; it leads to nothing. Stop talking and just do it. This Proverb directs us to not just talk about working hard, but to show it. We should let our actions speak louder than our words. Here's one last example: A father sent his son to camp for a few days. Upon his return home, the father asked his son about what he had learned, but his son didn't want to talk about it. After the son repeatedly denied his requests, the father finally said, “Listen, I spent money to send you to this camp. I want to hear about what you learned. What did you decide to change?” And the son replied, “Dad, I don't want to talk about it. I want to do it. I want you to see what I learned in my actions.” That's what this verse is all about. Proverbs 14:23: “In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.”

Duct tape – it comes in all kinds of colors these days. It's best use? Taping your mouth shut. It could help you get wisdom. Although…it might hurt coming off. Verse of the Day Proverbs 13:3, “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life. He who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” So basically, shut up. It's important that we learn that sometimes we need to keep our mouths shut. This might be wise when: Choosing how to react to people: should you run your mouth or stay silent? It's so important to learn to use our mouths wisely. Reckless words make promises we can't keep, divulge private information, offend people, misrepresent things, make a person undependable, and unenjoyable to be around. “Think before you speak.” Does it need to be said? Consider what might be the outcome if you say what you want to say. I once made jokes while hanging out at as a camp pastor for a weekend. I thought it was all good and funny until I got a phone call from a girl's parents telling me that those jokes had caused their daughter to revisit some old disorders. I felt horrible. What I said didn't need to be said. It wasn't helpful. It wasn't uplifting. Your words are powerful, not only for yourself, but for others. “Kind words leave nice echoes.” Again, “think before you speak.” Does it need to be said? Is it the right time to be said? What will be the outcome if I say it? There is a huge difference between responding and reacting. Responding: thoughtfulness, premeditated words. Reacting: going off without thinking.

I got a lot of discipline as a child. I never liked it or loved my mom or grandparents for doing it as a child, but now I appreciate it. They were helping me to get wisdom. They weren't out to hurt me; they were out to help me. Some kids that I grew up with didn't receive discipline from their parents. Many of them ended up in bad places. Verse of the day Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” “Loving” discipline means having a willingness to accept or embrace it, and to grow from it. Discipline is more than just punishment. It incorporates instruction and training. Other verses that talk about this same idea: Proverbs 12:15 Proverbs 13:1 Proverbs 13:13 Proverbs 13:18 Proverbs 15:5 Proverbs 15:10 Proverbs 15:12 Proverbs 15:31 Proverbs 15:32   The bottom line is this: don't reject discipline or instruction from someone else. Don't be stupid. Receive discipline and love knowledge. We all need to learn, grow, and get wisdom.

The Bible tells us to “consider others better than ourselves,” and to put their needs above our own. This can be difficult. Sometimes being kind makes us feel like we're losing out…but are we? Verse of the day- Proverbs 11:17, “A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself.” “Nice guys finish last.” “See a fool, use a fool.” These phrases make us wary of being kind, lest others take advantage of us. Proverbs 11:17-21 says otherwise. When you do right to other people, you reap spiritual benefits. We should be modeling kindness without expecting anything in return. Our reward is eternal. On the flip side, being cruel is harmful, both to others and to us. When we choose not to be kind, we face serious consequences. I once spoke at a high school, and I saw a tweet from a student that posted, “I'm always going the extra mile for everybody else. When am I gonna get something in return?” My response was, “When you go the extra mile for other people, you always get something in return: a better you.” Are you going to be a person who chooses to be kind to other people and make that who you are? It benefits those around you, and it also benefits you.

Poverty: is it more than just a lack of money? The Bible says yes. Wealth and poverty go much deeper than our finances, and Wisdom says there are different consequences for slacking off or choosing to be diligent. Growing up, my mother made me and my siblings do chores and housework. She taught us its value. This time, in Proverbs chapter 10, we'll learn about the value of hard work. Verse of the day Proverbs 10:4, “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Poverty is not just the idea of having money or not having money. There's a poverty mindset, an impoverished way of viewing the world. If you're lazy, you won't achieve much. If you cut corners, you won't do much with your life. If we want to be in a season of less poverty, we have to work hard. It's your choice.   In Thessalonians, the Bible says that if a man doesn't work, he doesn't eat. It is a lack of willingness to work that lands us in the mindset of poverty. Again, wealth is more than just having money. You can be rich financially, but poor in spirit, poor in their view on life, etc. STOP BEING LAZY (“a slack hand”) Put your best effort out there EVERY time (“the hand of the diligent”) This makes you rich. Work as though you're working for Jesus. Stop comparing yourself to others. Just do your best. Be diligent. Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it heartily as for the LORD, not for men, knowing that from the LORD you will receive an inheritance as your reward. You are serving the LORD Christ.”

Have you ever taken something that wasn't for you? Did it feel sweet, knowing you had something you weren't supposed to have? Well, sometimes sweet things have bitter consequences.     Last time, we talked about Lady Wisdom (Proverbs 8). This time, in Proverbs chapter 9, we'll meet Lady Folly. Verse of the day- Proverbs 9:17, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.” This is true, but it's not something we ascribe to. The Woman of Folly in Proverbs 9:13-18 (sexual overtones) - Folly tells us to believe that when we get something that's not ours, it can be kind of sweet. - BUT there's always a consequence. Just because you didn't get caught does not mean you got away with it. - Sometimes we try to do or have things that are GOOD, but not at the proper time, and that makes them bad. - Other things are never for you, but you still have access to them. Consequences apply to these, as well. - If it's not for you, you can't take it without consequence. Read all of Proverbs 9. We're looking at one verse, but mine and dig for treasures in the book of Proverbs. #GetWisdom

Have you ever called someone and they didn't pick up the phone? You had something good to say, and they just didn't answer the phone! This can be so frustrating. Let's continue our treasure hunt through Proverbs to get wisdom. Proverbs 8:1 says this: “Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?” When I think about that, it's like Wisdom is calling you on the phone. Wisdom is calling! Will you answer? She's saying: “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips,” (Proverbs 8:4-7). She's saying, “I have good things to say! I will speak truth to you!” Wisdom is calling out for you, and you need to hear. She wants to lead and teach you, and reading the book of Proverbs is a great way to hear her. The Bible tells us that even God used wisdom in creating the world, so we need to listen to wisdom! The more calls we answer from Wisdom, the less calls we'll answer from Folly. ----- You should also check out this website for more tools to study the book of Proverbs. It talks about the purpose of the Proverbs, how the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD, and gives breakdowns of the different kinds of Proverbs and who is speaking in each one.

In chapters 1-9 of Proverbs, we hear the words “My son,” over and over. Solomon is going after his son, repeatedly telling him this one thing: get wisdom. Our verse for the day is Proverbs 7:2, which says, “Keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.”If you read this at face value, you might think that God is speaking, but this is actually Solomon speaking to his son. I recently re-watched an excellent video that helps break down the book of Proverbs (you should check it out at thebibleproject.com!). Chapter 7, verse 1 says, “My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you.” Then today's verse, verse 2: “keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye.” Verse 3 continues: “bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” Solomon really wants his son to listen to what he has to say, instead of being hard-headed. Solomon was a good person to listen to because 1) God made him the wisest man alive, so he had good things to share, and 2) he had lived life, he had experience. Many of the mistakes I've made in life came about because I chose not to listen to the advice of those who lived before me. I chose not to listen to the wisdom of my mother and other adults who had tried to warn me. Solomon wants his son to understand that his advice will help him to live well and choose well.Have you ever heard this saying before? “God gave us two ears, two eyes, and one mouth. Therefore, we should look and listen twice as much as we talk.” But somehow we just keep talking. Instead, we should learn to listen. The second part of the verse tells us to keep wisdom “as the apple of [our] eye.” We should keep it as our focal point. We should continuously seek and go after wisdom. I often didn't listen, but I pray that my son chooses to listen to wisdom much earlier than I did. There are people that God has placed in your life that want you to get wisdom, and to understand important things about life. Won't you listen? When I teach assemblies at schools, I tell kids to remember to carry their “invisible backpacks” with them always, where they can store the wisdom they get from people and carry it with them so they have it when they need it. You might not always like or understand the wisdom you hear, but take it with you anyway, so you have it when you need it. Continue reading the rest of Proverbs 7 to check out more of what Solomon had to say, and heed his advice to his son: learn to listen to wisdom.

Why does Proverbs keep talking about sex? Well, we probably need some wisdom when it comes to sex. When I look at the headings in my Bible in Proverbs 6, I see “Warnings Against Adultery.” Our verse for today is Proverbs 6:27, which says,“Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned?”But to get some context for this verse, let's go back and start in chapter 6, verse 20. We'll read through verse 29: 20My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not your mother's teaching. 21 Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck. 22 When you walk, they[a] will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you. 23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life, 24 to preserve you from the evil woman,[b] from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.[c] 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart, and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes; 26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,[d] but a married woman hunts down a precious life. 27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; none who touches her will go unpunished. Now let's check out some Bible commentaries on this chapter. They help us understand that immorality is very costlyto us. Dire consequences of immorality are severe and inevitable. It is impossible to commit adultery without bringing harm. I look at it this way: sex is fire. I've taught sexual abstinence education at schools, and I believe that abstinence is the best choice: that we be sexually abstinent until marriage, and then sexually faithful within marriage.I believe this based not only on what the Bible says, but also on experience from my own life. Let's read verses 27 and 28 again: “Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?” In the context, Solomon is talking about adultery, but I like this idea as applied to sex in general, including things like pornography. Can we play around with stuff like this and not get burned? No. You can choose to do that, but you cannot choose the consequences. I've heard the saying, “If you choose to sin, you choose to suffer.” We need to have self-control. Sex is beautiful and powerful, but God created it for marriage only. I don't say these things to make anyone feel bad, but because we need to get wisdom. When I was younger, my friends and I used to like burning things. Not like burning houses or anything, but just messing with a lighter, you know? One day, we had some candy wrappers and my mom wasn't at home. We were outside on the sidewalk, and we lit them. A car started coming by and I thought it was my mom, so I stepped on the fire trying to hide it and put it out. It wasn't my mom, but when I turned around, the wrappers were melting to my sock and burning it. I was playing with fire, and I got burned. Sex is a fire. It is meant to be in a place that is used constructively, and that is marriage. Things like pornography, even some television shows, can arouse desires for sex that cannot be righteously fulfilled, and when that happens, we need to just turn it off. Better yet, try to avoid it in the first place. Wisdom is learning to turn away from temptation.

It's gonna get a little saucy here today – we're talking about sex! Sex is not a bad thing; it's an amazing gift from God, but you need wisdom in order to handle it correctly. You ready for this? In the Bible, King Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines. That's 1000 women that he was sexually intimate in some way! He was messed up by this, and heart was turned away from God by women. He learned the hard way, so it's interesting that he shares this wisdom with his son. Let's read through some of Proverbs 5 together: My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding, 2 that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge. 3 For the lips of a forbidden[a] woman drip honey, and her speech[b] is smoother than oil, 4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps follow the path to[c] Sheol; 6 she does not ponder the path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it. 7 And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house, 9 lest you give your honor to others and your years to the merciless, 10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of a foreigner, 11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed, 12 and you say, “How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! 13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. 14 I am at the brink of utter ruin in the assembled congregation.” Wow. Solomon is giving warnings about who to be and who not to be with, and has a lot to say about self-control. And it leads us to our verse of the day, Proverbs 5:15 – “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.”We'll come back to this, but first let's read the rest of the chapter together: 15 Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, 19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated[d] always in her love. 20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?[e] 21 For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders[f] all his paths. 22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is held fast in the cords of his sin. 23 He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is led astray. Okay, back to today's verse (Prov. 5:15): “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.”I think he's using this analogy about water to talk about being satisfied with your own wife, not with someone else's. I like how, in verse 19, Solomon tells his son to “be intoxicated always in her love.” In his own wife's love, not in anyone else's. Love the one you're with. We're bombarded with messages that tell us the grass is always greener somewhere else, but that's a lie. The grass is greener where you cultivate it.If you're married, be happy where you are, and love the one you're with. Marriage is a beautiful gift. Despite the many temptations we face, I promise you, it's better to stay at home, so to speak, and to stick with what is yours. Media will try to tell you about the standard of beauty, but let me tell you something: when I got married, my wife became my own standard of beauty.She is the most beautiful woman I know, because she's mine. This advice goes for all of us, married or not. Don't go looking for love from someone that's not your own. Let's read our verse of the day one more time: “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well,” (Proverbs 5:15).Stay at home, stay at home stay, at home. Get wisdom.

Has anyone ever told you not to do something? Don't do this, don't do that. If you have parents, the answer is yes…that's all of us. But did you ever ask why? Well, our verse today tells us not to do something, and the next verse tells us why. Let's check it out. There's so much good stuff in Proverbs 3 that it was hard for me to pick out one verse for today. So you really should make sure you read the whole chapter. Right now, let's look at a list of five “do not's” that we find in this chapter of Proverbs: 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[e] when it is in your power to do it. 28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. 29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. 30 Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm. 31 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, 32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord, but the upright are in his confidence. Verse 31 is our verse for today. Let's read it again: “Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways,” (Prov. 3:31).Envy is this: “a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.” Social media sites can often be a great avenue for leading us to envy because we see what other people have, and what other people are like, and we want the same. But we need to remember that we're often not seeing the whole picture; most people only share their highlights, or their high points online. This verse also made me think about the TV that we watch. There's almost always a villain and a hero, of some sort. We're supposed to cheer for the hero, right? But sometimes the villain is so cool that we find ourselves looking at that person and wanting to be like them. I used to watch a show called White Collar about an ex-art thief who helped the FBI solve crimes while still being a thief under the radar. He looked so cool. But he was single and always with other women; not to mention that he was also a thief. Of course, the other guy, the hero, was married and faithful, but I still found myself looking more at the villain. So we have to be careful because our verse today warns that we should not imitate these people, or even be envious of them. Now let's look at verse 32: “for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright is in his confidence.” Why? God hates these things; God hates the ways of violent and wicked people. I know hate is a strong word, but it's the right word. God hates all sin because it's against him. We should not envy a man of violence or his ways because these things are abominations to God—he HATES them. Let's get wisdom and make sure that who we're watching and looking up to are not people whose ways are an abomination to the LORD. Let's make sure that who we watch and celebrate are people who are pleasing to the LORD. Please leave us some feedback! Send us a message, post a comment, or visit proclaimministries.com, where you can also donate to our ministry.

When I was growing up, I frequently stopped at garage sales—I was looking for valuables that other people were getting rid of because they no longer deemed them valuable. Our verse today has something to do with this: things of which we should or should not rid ourselves. Let's get wisdom. Proverbs 4:7 says, “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.”Get it, get it, get it. If you want to be wise, if you want wisdom, you must begin by searching for it. I love this chapter because it shows us the value of seeking wisdom. It's so important to get wisdom. Some people don't seek out or pay attention to wisdom. Instead, they throw it away because they don't see the value in it. This is like a person getting rid of stuff at a yard sale; they don't see the value in those objects. But we should be like the people going to garage sales, searching for value in someone else's items. We should always see the value in wisdom, and never get rid of it. I heard it said once that “if it weren't for people, life would be easy.” Work is complicated. School is complicated. Family relationships are complicated. We need the wisdom to manage all of these. If we seek out wisdom, it will be useful. If we apply it to how we live out our lives each day, we'll be living better. Out of all the stuff we seek out in life, wisdom should be at the top. Let's read our verse one more time: “The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight,” (Proverbs 4:7).

Have you ever had anybody say something negative to you that made you feel bad? I have. They didn't say it directly to me, but they said it to somebody else, and then that person came and told me. So I went to yet another person asking for advice, and they told me to “consider the source.” Let's talk about this with our verse today. Our verse of the day is Proverbs 2:6. It says, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding.” So let's “consider the source.” The source of all wisdom and knowledge is God, it's Him. Not only do you want to consider the source when someone says something mean to or about you, but also consider the source when you get knowledge or wisdom. You might get knowledge from teachers or professors, and they're smart, but some things may not be right if those teachers aren't starting from the original source: God. This verse connects to Proverbs 9:10, which says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Let's read our verse in context. Solomon is talking to his son: My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, 2 making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; He really encourages his son to seek after wisdom, to search for it. That's what this whole series is about! We're digging and searching and seeking after wisdom. But ultimately the source of this wisdom is God; it comes from the One who created all things. At some point, I believe we have to start with a healthy fear of God, and to understand that he is God and that we are not. The other day I was thinking about the verse Psalm 90:2 – “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Everlasting to everlasting…God had no beginning. There was no time that God was not. He has always been and will always be there. That makes my head hurt. I can't fathom that. I am finite, while God is infinite. I can't fit that into my brain. But it's also relieving to know there is Someone who knows more than I do. God is the source of wisdom, and I'm also comforted by the fact that he gives his wisdom to other people. I can get wisdom from God, and from his Word, but I can also get it from other godly people. We cannot neglect God and think we're somehow going to have wisdom. It all comes from Him. Romans 11:36 says, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.” Everything flows from God; it flows to God; and it is for God. If we want wisdom, we have to “consider the source.” Here's our verse one more time: “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth comes knowledge and understanding,” (Proverbs 2:6). Let's use this as a starting point for jumping into the Word, and for seeking wisdom.

Consider this statement: “Greedy people get got.” I'll explain this in a moment. Welcome to our “Get Wisdom” series! We're doing this to go through the book of Proverbs, and to dig for all the bits of wisdom and knowledge we can find as we do so. I'm so glad you're joining us, and I hope this is as helpful for you as it is for me. Our verse for today is Proverbs 1:19. It says, “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.” I think this is really deep. Let's go back to that statement: “Greedy people get got.” If you're greedy enough to commit crimes, to steal to get what you want, eventually you'll “get got,” or you'll be caught yourself. Our verse today reminds us that crime doesn't pay. When we go out and get things “unjustly,” things that aren't for us, there are consequences. It gets us back. Let's read some more of Proverbs 1 to put this in context: 10 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us ambush the innocent without reason; 12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive, and whole, like those who go down to the pit; 13 we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; 14 throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— 15 my son, do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths, 16 for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. 17 For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, 18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. I love this. Solomon is giving his son, and us, some really good advice. Don't be enticed by sinners and people who do wrong things. We need to understand that not everything that looks good is good for us. We might think that we're gaining through our unjust actions, but there will be a consequence. There always is, even if it's only in your conscience. If you are involved with these people that are setting traps for other people, you're setting a trap for yourself. But our verse broadens this. It's not just thieves that are going to receive these consequences. ANYONE who is out for unjust gain, for getting something in a wrong way, or an ill-gotten way, is having their life taken away. You will lose every time, if what you're getting is not being gotten correctly, or if you're trying to surpass the right way. It's hard work, sometimes, to do things the right way. It's often not attractive. But it's right. Sometimes I'm tempted to break the rules, even just a little bit, but I always hear my mother's voice reminding me that I'll be caught one day. Even if we do something and don't get caught, we never really get away with it. God knows. And we know. Let's read our verse one last time: “Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors,” Proverbs 1:19.