Day 309 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 18-19 (ESV)

Ezekiel 7-9, Hebrews 6: 13-20, Hebrews 7: 1-10, Proverbs 12: 18-28

Proverbs 12: 18-19 (ESV)

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”

In verses 18 and 19, Solomon tells us how a wise person needs to communicate to people. When a wise person speaks to someone, their words need to bring healing. A wise person’s words shouldn’t speak words that hurt and can feel like sword thrusts. Solomon then tells us God loves a wise person who loves and speaks the truth. God will ensure that their words of truth will last forever. But if you lie, your words will not last especially compared to the words of truth. I like this advice because words can hurt people, and who wants to do that? Isn’t it better to always speak words that bring health and healing. I also like the concept of always telling the truth because the truth is beautiful and it does last forever. Who doesn’t want their words forever remembered?

Day 308 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 15-16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 4-6, Hebrews 5: 11-14, Hebrews 6: 1-12, Proverbs 12: 8-17

Proverbs 12: 15-16 (ESV)

“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult.”

In verses 15 and 16 from Proverbs 12, Solomon tells us how a wise man needs to behave. If you are a fool then you will always think you are right, while a wise man is more cautious and always listens to advice. I can see myself as the fool when I was younger when I thought I was right about everything. But as I grew older, I learned through some hard lessons that I wasn’t always right about everything, and I needed to always listen to the advice of people that I trusted.

Solomon also says that when a fool is frustrated, he will let you know. A wise person will keep their emotions to themselves and ignore insults. It’s always good advice to keep your emotions to yourself and not let others know what you think, in case they hold it or use it against you. This is advice that has been carried down over the years and continues to this day with every person who considers themselves a success guru. This is a lesson I am still struggling with, but I am getting better at not getting so frustrated when things don’t go my way. With coaching from the Holy Spirit, I know I will continue to improve in becoming a wise person.

Day 307 Bible Readings – Proverbs 12: 1 (ESV)

Ezekiel 1-3, Hebrews 4;14-16, Hebrews 5: 1-10, Proverbs 11: 29-31, Proverbs 12: 1-7

Proverbs 12: 1 (ESV)

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

Verse 1 from Proverbs 12 shows Wisdom telling us to keep learning, and to make learning a discipline that we do daily. If we love the discipline of learning, then this means we love knowledge. But then Wisdom also us that sometimes we may get it wrong and, we must therefore love correction. How can you improve in any area of your life if you are not willing to be corrected?

I think this verse applies to every day practical things, but also to our relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We must be willing to constantly seek the knowledge of God and his plans for our life. We must read the Bible daily and learn to accept God’s correction in our life. How would we know we are being obedient to God, if he does not sometimes need to correct us? When I get corrected by the Holy Spirit, my first reaction is the feeling of anger. The little child in me rises and says “I can do anything I want, and no one is going to tell me what to do.” But after a minute, I calm down and realize what a good father-God I have. God cares about me so much that the watches my every move, and if I do something not in keeping with God’s plan for my life, he steps in and corrects me using the Holy Spirit. His swift intervention into my life always keeps me on track and makes my life path smooth. No life is ever trouble free; God did not make that promise to his followers. But with God guiding us, we can always expect that God will do his best to smooth out the path for us as much as possible.

Day 306 Bible Readings – Joel 2: 25 (ESV)

Joel 2: 18-32, Joel 3, Hebrews 4: 1-13, Proverbs 11: 19-28

Joel 2: 25 (ESV)

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you.”

I love verse 25 from Joel 2. Joel tells us that God promises restoration after he has punished us. God will restore everything to us that was taken from us even though it might seem we have lost everything. God’s promises tell us that he is not an unkind an unjust God. God will punish us when we fall away from him, but when we repent, he will welcome us back and he will restore everything that we lost. I think God’s restoration also applies when we lose everything due to other circumstances. God is a kind and good father. He will never hold back his love from us. He will take care of us and restore to us everything that life has taken from us.