No Time for Quarrels (Proverbs 20:3)

Fights and arguments can be started by anyone. It takes the bigger man to walk away.

"It is an honor for a man to cease from strife and keep aloof from it, but every fool will be quarreling." Proverbs 20:3, Amplified

An honorable man ceases from strife. Not only the honorable man, but also the wise man. It is definitely within our human nature to fight and argue and quarrel. But the bigger man within can walk away and not become a part of these useless fights.

The foolish man will not walk away because because he does not see nor does he understand that he has that option. The foolish man is looking for the next fix of anything that he can get his hands on. He is looking for a rush of some sort. The foolish man needs a "feeling" to know that he is alive whereas the wise man needs only knowledge that he is alive. There will come a time for strife, but for now we must simply rest in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sinning Against Self (Proverbs 20:2)

Mel Brooks once said, "It's good to be the king."

"The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger or angers himself against him sins against his own life." Proverbs 20:2 Amplified

Though there are no kings in our country today, there are those who still have the power. What I mean is we have our bosses. These are the men and women that we should hold in reverence because of the position that they hold. They are not like the kings of old who had the power to banish or even put to death. However, they do still have the power to fire. This is something that I had learned with Denny's. Who knew that doing the right thing would actually provoke someone?

But we must also keep in mind our real King. To deny Him and His power and authority is to sin against our own lives. If we are to deny Him, then we will be denied entrance in to Heaven. The true sin against ourselves is to not call Him Lord of our lives.

To Drink or Not to Drink (Proverbs 20:1)

Alcohol is one of those things that can take a life and destroy it in an instant.

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a riotous brawler, and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise." Proverbs 20:1, Amplified

There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that we should never drink alcohol. In fact Paul encourages Timothy to drink wine because he was frequently sick. "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities." (First Timothy 5:23, NKJV) There is even Scripture to suggest that Jesus Himself drank wine. "For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend to tax collectors and sinners!'" (Matthew 11:18-19, NKJV)

So is it okay for a Christina to drink? I am of the argument, when in doubt, don't. Paul wrote, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." (First Thessalonians 5:22, KJV) So how could he encourage Timothy to drink and the Thessalonians to abstain from the very appearance of evil? We have to remember that Timothy was a young pastor under the tutelage of Paul who was battling within himself the idea of drinking for it was customary in those days to drink wine. But then again wine is an alcoholic beverage. So where is that line for us today? Paul wrote, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit." (Ephesians 5:18, NKJV) In other words, we should always keep our eyes on Jesus and not subject our bodies to those things which may take that focus away. In the original language, that word "be" refers to a continual filling such as be being filled with the Spirit. If we are constantly filling ourselves with the Spirit, then we should have no time for the spirits.

Scoffers and Fools (Proverbs 19:29)

We will all have to go through a judgement when we die, but we are guaranteed that judgement will befall the fool.

"Judgements are prepared for scoffers, and stripes for the back of [self-confident] fools." Proverbs 19:29, Amplified

There is the guarantee that I referenced. Judgements are prepared for the scoffer and there are beatings ready for the fool. The scoffer and the fool are two very special people. Let me explain more.

The scoffer is not only one who does not believe, but he openly mocks that which he does not believe. It is one thing to not believe, but it is an entirely different thing to try and pull others around you down because of your unbelief.

The fool has said in his heart that there is no God, at least that is what the Psalms tell us. Isaiah has another definition, "The foolish person will speak foolishness, and his heart will work iniquity: to practice ungodliness, to utter error against the Lord, to keep the hungry unsatisfied, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail." (Isaiah 32:6, NKJV) The scoffer causes others to falter because of his words and the fool causes others to falter because of his actions. This is why judgements are prepared for the both of them.

And Justice For All? (Proverbs 19:28)

Justice is not for everyone. There are those who despise it.

"A worthless witness scoffs at justice, and the mouth of the wicked swallows iniquity." Proverbs 19:28, Amplified

Those who hate justice are those who do not have a good witness. As far as justice is concerned, it is only bad because it falls upon them. Justice is never good enough because it only graces others around them. There is no time for justice for they are too busy feeding on iniquity.

Truth (Proverbs 19:27)

There are plenty of warnings in the Bible as well for us to heed. This is one of those warnings.

"Cease, my son, to hear instruction only to ignore it and stray from the words of knowledge." Proverbs 19:27, Amplified

If we cease to listen to instruction, we will begin to stray from knowledge. For within the words of instruction is knowledge. An instructor instructs because he has the knowledge to do so. There are many out there, however, that have placed themselves within the seat of instruction. So how are we to discern who is the real instructor and who is not. You will know who the real instructors are when what they teach is validated by truth. Truth is the factor for all of us. The truth is Jesus Christ. The truth is real. The truth is everything and without it there is nothing.

Good Children (Proverbs 19:26)

It is important for us to be good children to our parents, no matter how old we are.

"He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach." Proverbs 19:26, Amplified

This again is one of those verses that really needs to exposition. It is as plain as day. Be good to your parents. If we are not good to our parents then we bring shame and reproach. I know that there was a time when my parents and I didn't get along. Just realize that it is never too late to reconcile. My father and I became closer even though throughout my life I could not stand the man. The Lord allowed me to see him for the man he truly was. As my father lay on his death bed, all the shame and reproach I brought were gone.

Different Strokes (Proverbs 19:25)

It takes different strokes for different folks. For some, correction comes by way of the physical and for others it takes but a simple word.

"Strike a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; reprove a man of understanding, and he will increase in knowledge." Proverbs 19:25, Amplified

The scoffer is one who loves to listen to himself more than he wishes to speak to others, therefore he will drown out any logical voice in his vicinity. Words will never work on a scoffer, only physical beating. I know it sounds vicious, but the Bible does speak a lot about the physical correction of children (who are usually scoffers). But the simple are to learn prudence through physical correction. Notice, they will not become wiser, but rather they will learn prudence. There is a difference. Prudence is the act of showing care for the future. What future? Maybe the future of the hind end. Maybe how to not get caught next time.

However, the man of understanding will receive the words of reproof and become wiser. Why? Because his heart is already ripe to receive correction when needed. He is a man of understanding, so he knows the value of correction and what may come about by scoffing at that correction.

What's on the Menu? (Proverbs 19:24)

This is one of my most favorite verses in the book of Proverbs. I remember that one morning around a campfire I was enlightened concerning this verse.

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again." Proverbs 19:24, Amplified

This verse cannot be understood the way that it reads. It is mush too simple to think that a lazy man is too lazy to eat. We all know that this should not be the case, there are far too many people out there who are in fact lazy but do eat. I do not want to be stereotypical and say that they are all fat and lazy, for there are weight problems in every demographic, I am however, trying to get to a larger truth.

We have to understand that the man sitting at the table is ready to eat. He has made his desire clear. He has ordered something specific. The dish has been prepared by someone else. The dish has been delivered by someone else. The man has buried his hand in the dish and readied himself for the first bite, however he is not able to. Why? He is a lazy man.

Have you ever heard the expression, Your eyes are bigger than your stomach? Well I have another question, can one not truly understand the depth of his own laziness? Maybe laziness is the wrong word to use here. Well I do know that we can all appreciate the fact that one can set out to complete a task and not realize his unpreparedness.

That dish set before the lazy man is not necessarily food, it can be a plethora of things. When going to a restaurant we are given a menu by which we order our food. Too many times in life, I know for me, I have viewed prayer like this. There is a menu of things that I would like the Lord to perform in my life, things I would like to have and so on. The lazy man buried his hand in the dish because he did not realize what he was asking for. It was too much for him. Jesus has some simple words for us. "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it - lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him." (Luke 14:28-29, NKJV) I do not know about you, but I do not want to be mocked or forever be on the pages of a book as the man who buried his hand in the dish and he could not bring it back to his mouth again.

Rest in the Lord (Proverbs 19:23)

I hate it when my alarm doesn't go off. Yesterday, my phone was on vibrate so I never heard my alarm. My day started before I did, so I was left catching up with my day. But it is verses like these that remind me that there are more important things in life.

"The reverent, worshipful fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will rest satisfied; he cannot be visited with [actual] evil." Proverbs 19:23, Amplified

Remember that the fear of the Lord is actually a respect. If you respect someone, then you honor their wishes. Your parents leave to go out of town for the weekend and tell you to have no parties. Out of respect, you have none. If you fear and respect your friends more, though, you will end up having a party. We should never follow the Lord out of actual fear, for His perfect love casts out all fear. We should follow the Lord with honor and respect. For if we do then we will rest satisfied in Him. He gives us all that we need.

Sin leaves us hanging. We always need just a little more. There is no rest when we are living in sin. It is exhausting and it will eventually kill us. Sin causes us to fear and we are constantly hiding the evidence of what we have done. There is no rest in sin.

And as we revere and worship the Lord, we are given a promise, we cannot be visited by actual evil. In other words, our eyes will not be drawn away from Him. Our gaze will be steadily on the Lord. We cannot be visited by actual evil if we do not associate with evil things. Yes, there are times when the Lord allows for certain maladies to befall us. But remember, we are resting in Him. If He was the One to allow it, then He is the One to stop it. Do not be like the adulterer whose gaze is never on his bride, rather be like the newly wed who can think of nothing more than to please his spouse, lover and friend.

Kindness (Proverbs 19:22)

It is desirable for all of us to exhibit kindness.

"That which is desired in a man is loyalty and kindness, and his glory and delight are his giving, but a poor man is better than a liar." Proverbs 19:22, Amplified

I have to be honest and say that this verse eludes me a little. It compares a kind man to a poor man and a liar. What do the three have in common and how can we reconcile them?

Well Unger seems to feel that this verse has to do with riches. He states, "His kindness is what makes him desirable. And a poor man, though severely limited as far as material means are concerned, but disposed to acts of kindness, is better than a liar, a rich man who deceptively withholds his wealth with which he has promised to relieve the poverty-stricken. His deceptive stinginess places him far below the godly poor, who have little or nothing to give." (Unger's Commentary on the Old Testament) I do not agree with Unger, however. There is nothing in the verse that suggests the liar is a rich man, nor that he promised to help with his riches. The key to understanding the verse is in the first half. "What is desired in a man is kindness..." (NKJV) It is desirable for a man to exhibit kindness, but what if he had the ability to commit kind acts but chose not to do so? That man is now become a liar. Who cares what his financial status is, we are talking about kindness. Kindness can be found in word or deed, and if either happens to involve money, then yes, money. Money itself cannot be kind nor selfish nor exhibit any other human emotion. Kindness comes from the person behind the money. There are those, who like myself, struggle to make ends meet financially, but still find it within ourselves to act kindly and do kind things.

If it is in your power, do it. Try instilling the RAOK philosophy in your life. Random Acts of Kindness may be the key to rekindling the fire inside.

Future (Proverbs 19:21)

We can plan our lives out as we please, but the true outcome for our lives coms from the Lord.

"Many plans are in man's mind, but it the Lord's purpose for him that will stand." Proverbs 19:21, Amplified

Our plans are worth noting if they are not rooted in the heart of God. He has a wonderful plan made for us. As we walk with Him, we can look back on a beautiful history and expect a glorious future. The Lord told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you as a prophet to all the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5, NKJV) We know not what is going to happen from one day to the next. Accidents may befall loved ones or even ourselves. So we cannot predict the future, only plan and hope for the best. Or we can place our futures in the hands of the Almighty and know that He has a wonderful plan for us. Even before I was born, the Lord had my life planned for me. What is it? I do not know, but I am excited to find out.

The Lord goes on to inspire Jeremiah to write, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV) What the Lord has planned for us is always a good thing. We may go through our share of trials and tribulations to get to the end He has prescribed, but that end will always be good, so long as we plan our lives in His hands.

Remember this one saying, "We know not what the future holds, but we know who holds the future."

Advice Received (Proverbs 19:20)

It is always best to listen to the advice of others.

"Hear counsel, receive instruction and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come." Proverbs 19:20, Amplified

When I stated that it is always best to listen to advice, it must be noted that not all advice is good. Look at the words used in the verse above: counsel, instruction and correction. Thought these words can be used in a secular tense, we can also find them to be very "Chritianese". Advice is good when it is rooted in the Word of God. In exhorting the Ephesians, Paul wrote, "I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27, NKJV) Again, as Paul was writing to Timothy he stated, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (Second Timothy 3:16-17, NKJV)

As long as the advice you receive in rooted in the heart of God, it will never fail.

Consequences (Proverbs 19:19)

There are some behaviors that we have in which it may prove useless to try and deliver us from for we have so given ourselves over to them.

"A man of great wrath shall suffer the penalty, for if you deliver him [from the consequences], he will [feel free to] cause you to do it again." Proverbs 19:19, Amplified

This verse needs little commentary. There are those who are constantly rescued from the consequences of bad decisions. They are delivered simply because they continue to fall into their sin knowing that they will be delivered. The lesson today is to muster up the courage to allow someone you love to suffer the consequences.

Discipline (Proverbs 19:18)

To chasten is to correct and correction is a good thing.

"Discipline your son while there is hope, but do not [indulge your angry resentments by undue chastisements and] set yourself to his ruin." Proverbs 19:18, Amplified

Discipline is a good thing, it is a tool for correction. It is rooted in the word disciple, or one who follows. So in essence, discipline is simply bowing to the ways of another.

I will not go into the verses in Hebrews that talk about the Lord being our Father and how He disciplines us, for that is not what this is about today. What is being illustrated here is that discipline will only be received by the child for so long. Once he or she is out of the house, advice is all that a parent can really offer, discipline is no longer effective. So as parents we need to take the responsibility of discipline to heart and do so while there is still time. If we stray from this path, I am afraid the end for discipline may come sooner than later. But if we are diligent in what He has called us to do, then that end will come later than sooner. However, in disciplining we must not set our eyes on the destruction of the child. In other words, we must make sure that the discipline fits the infraction. I know, in my own personal experience, that I have been carried away in my anger. But with the Lord's help, He is brining me to that balance in my life.

Giving is a Ministry (Proverbs 19:17)

To give unto others in need is not necessarily giving u what we have. The Lord will always repay.

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and that which he has given He will repay to him." Proverbs 19:17, Amplified

The idea of giving with the intent of receiving back is not what the Bible is trying to portray here. The heart of the giver should never be in the state of wanting back. Paul wrote of giving many different times in his epistles, but in one instance he uses some unusual vernacular. "So let each one give has he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." (Second Corinthians 9:7, NKJV) First focusing on the giving: we have to purpose within ourselves what we give. There is no prescription on what to give, the only stipulation is that when we do give that it not be grudgingly or out of necessity. Our giving should be out of want and desire. Notice too, that there is no mention of money in this verse. There are many different ways that we can give. Now concerning the interesting vernacular. God loves a cheerful giver. The word for cheerful in the Greek is actually "hilarious". God loves an hilarious giver: one who gives extremely generously.

There is another interesting verse in the Bible I want to examine as well. "Cast your bread on the waters, for you will find it after many days." (Ecclesiastes 11:1, NKJV) This verse also speaks of giving, but notice the language. If one was to cast bread upon the water, he would have to do so with the expectation of completely loosing the bread. As bread gets soggy, it is destroyed. But the Bible tells us that if we give without the expectation of receiving back, we will find it after many days. The only way that this could happen is if the Lord was and is involved.

Even Jesus spoke of giving to His disciples. "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison an you came to Me.' then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" (Matthew 25:34-40, NKJV) You see, even Jesus noted different ways in which we could give of ourselves which does not involve money.

Realize, as well, that giving is also a ministry. "For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, n that you ministered to the saints, and do minister." (Hebrews 6:10, NKJV)

Choice (Proverbs 19:16)

It is important for us all to follow what the Lord has told us to do. Not only personally, but also corporately within the realm of Scripture.

"He who keeps the commandment [of the Lord] keeps his own life, but he who despises His ways shall die." Proverbs 19:16, Amplified

There is nothing in the Bible that is going to be detrimental to ourselves, whether in body, spirit or soul. Nothing bad comes out of the commandments that the Lord gives us. In fact Jesus Himself responded to a comment made from the crowd, "And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!' But He said 'More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!'" (Luke 11:28, NKJV) We are blessed more than Mary herself when we hear the word of God and keep that commandments that we hear. Even testing the Scribes and Pharisees, Jesus turned right back to the word of God. "And behold a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, 'Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' He said the them, 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?' So he answered and said, '"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind," and "your neighbor as yourself."' And He said to him, 'You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.'" (Luke 10:28, NKJV) The lawyer had the answer if front of him the whole time. He was quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. What he chose to do was ignore it.

You see we have the choice to hear and obey, but we also have the choice to hear and ignore. What the Bible says is that if we ignore what it says, we shall die. Inevitably, if we follow the commandments set up by the Lord (that are not detrimental to ourselves) we live good lives and better eternal lives. However, if we choose to not follow those commandments we follow our sin nature we will inevitably die.

The Slothful and the Idle (Proverbs 19:15)

Slothfulness, laziness and idleness all have one thing in common: the destruction of self.

"Slothfulness casts one into a deep sleep, and the idle person shall suffer hunger." Proverbs 19:15, Amplified

Nothing good can come out of laziness. Like the Bible says here in this verse that it is going to cast one into a deep sleep. When one sleeps, nothing physical happens outside the body. It is almost like the person is sleepwalking. With laziness, entropy takes over the body and life of that person.

Idleness is that state of doing nothing. When a car is turned on and running, but is not moving, it is considered to be idling. Our idle hands will cause us to suffer hunger.

There is not much more to say about this verse, it is pretty self explanatory. My life suffered much idleness and laziness. Because of this I am not real happy with where I am at in my life on a professional level. I could have done more. But now, with determination and hard work I will get to where I feel I need to be.

Also be aware that when one suffers laziness, slothfulness and idleness, he becomes unable to be directed from the Lord. Our walks are always moving, either forward or backward. Direction only comes from the Lord when we are moving in a forward motion. Don't get me wrong, I do believe the Lord can speak to anyone at any time in whatever state their heart is in. But in order for us to know and understand where the Lord desires us to be, we need to be moving forward.