Proverbs 20

I don't know where a notebook is, so am gonna put this here. Julie and I went walking this morning and hopefully we'll keep that up. It's a perfect time between our walk and getting dressed to have a few minutes in the Bible. I'm going to stick with Proverbs for a while as there are enough for a month of devotions. These are the verses that stuck out to me today.

3. It's every man's honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.

I am apparantly a fool. I can be quick to quarrel, but lately I've been doing much better. I want that honor. I don't want to be arguementative. I don't want to be a fool anymore.

4. A sluggard does not plow in season;
so at harvest time he looks and finds nothing.

How can we expect to see a harvest for the Lord or for ourselves if we don't plow in the correct season? How can we expect to plow in the correct season if we don't stay in relationship with God for Him to tell us when to plow? How can we plow if we don't know how? How can we expect to know how if we don't read His word and talk to Him? It all comes down to knowing the Lord and learning how to hear His voice and be sensitive to His Spirit. I love Him so much and am so guilty of not spending the time I should with Him. It's one of the regrets I have for my life to this point. I'm going to pray to turn that around.

11. Even a child is known by his actions,
by whether his conduct is good and right.

That one just sticks out to me right now. It's a reminder that our reputation is so very important. I am not perfect, but I do want to be mindful of the fact that I'm representing Christ everywhere I go and with everything I do - and it's not just cliche'.

17. Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

Wow. What a statement against lies and fraud. It is nothing but a mouth full of gravel. I pray that the Lord remind me of the taste of gravel when I consider fraud at all.

20. If a man curses his father or mother,
his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

How can I be an effective witness (my lamp) if I speak of my parents in any way other than honoring them. They are not perfect. I love them. My lamp will be snuffed out. There are so many levels this one can speak on. The bottom line is: I don't want any lamp of mine to be snuffed out, so I will not speak negatively of my parents.

21. An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will not be blessed at the end.

So much for winning the lottery.

24. A man's steps are directed by the Lord.
How then can anyone understand his own way?

I love this. I know I've read it before, but I don't remember it. I needed this. I needed to hear in preparation for, well, the rest of my life. Nobody is going to understand my way when I'm directed by the Lord. It's not going to make sense even to me, so how can they? He's made it clear that His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are not my ways, so how can even I, who wants to walk His way, understand my way? That's beautiful to me.