Proverbs 13
Proverbs 13
New King James Version (NKJV)
1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2 A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
3 He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.
4 The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
5 A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.
8 The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.
9 The light of the righteous rejoices,
But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
10 By pride comes nothing but strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
11 Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
13 He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.
15 Good understanding gains favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But a faithful ambassador brings health.
18 Poverty and shame will come to him who disdains correction,
But he who regards a rebuke will be honored.
19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
21 Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.
22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is waste.
24 He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.
25 The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.
My Thoughts:
- So let’s start with (v. 5) we read “A righteous man hates lying, But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame”
- It is no Secret that lying breaks down confidence and destroys friendship; yet many people will use a falsehood when they deem it necessary to get themselves out of some difficulty.
- When we build up a distaste for lying we then start to build up a distaste for all forms of sin, such loathing is developed by daily communion with the Holy Spirit. Keep Christ in our hearts and he will do the rest.
- In (v. 11) we read “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, but he who gathers by labor will increase”
- One’s labor has its rewards and we see this thought out the Bible (Prov. 14:23; Isa. 53:11; Matt 11:28). But the man that does not labor will at some point starve. If I have learned anything in this life it is that wealth gained without real effort soon dissipates, the things we really work for are the things we hold on too.
- And we will finish today with (v.22) “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous”
- Whatever property he left was honestly acquired, and well-gotten goods are permanent. The general experience of men shows this to be a common case; and that property ill-gotten seldom reaches to the third generation.
Thought of the Day
“Take my lips, and let them be Filled with messages from Thee.”
What we say influences others, but it has a reflex influence on ourselves. When we speak unadvisedly and impurely, we sow seeds of ill harvests not in others only, but in ourselves, and the very utterance injures us. When, on the other hand, we refuse to give expression to a wrong or unkind thought, we choke and strangle it.
Will each reader and hearer of these words carefully bear this in mind. If you express what is uncharitable or wrong, you gratify the evil nature that is in you, and you strengthen it. If, on the contrary, you refuse to express it, you strike a death-blow at the cursed thing itself. When you guard your mouth you keep your life, because you weaken that which is gnawing insidiously at the root of your life. If there is fire in a room, be sure not to open door or window; for air is its fuel and food. And if a fire is burning within you, be sure not to give it vent. What goes forth from you defiles you. Would you see good days? Refrain your lips from evil.
Perhaps you find yourself unable to guard your mouth. You are only discovering the truth of those terrible words: “The tongue is a fire, the world of iniquity among our members, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire of hell…. The tongue can no man tame; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” If man cannot tame it, the Savior can. Cry to Him then, saying, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” The fire of God’s love will burn out the fire of hell. Hand the bridle, or rudder, as the apostle James calls it, over to Him.
Personal Reflection and Discussion
- What do you think (v. 3) is saying?
- What other things do you see in the text?
Prayer Activities
- Call your Partner and discuss this devotional.
- Continue to have a prayer list and continue to praying for them.
- Pray with them and ask for the following;
- For God to help us earn our wealth with honor.
- For God to help us see all that God has created
- For the individuals on your pray list.
- Let’s use (1 Thess. 3:1) for today’s prayer verse.
About bobh6
40 Days of study 
Vrs 13″ Hope deferred (because of feeling of being constantly crushed) makes the heart sick, but when the desire (hope in something) comes it is a tree of life” vrs 19 “A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,” Vrs 20 “He who walks with wise men will be wise,” These to me go together.
We become what we behold. I enjoy christian company, it strenghts and encourages my walk with God. Their expeiences serve aspowerful lessons. So often we have our eyes set on the world with it’s disappointment, rejection and riddicue. It could be difficult to see people blossoming in such a dark world. We believe joy in such an unfair world is hopeless. But the sun still shines…even in this dark world.
We set our standards low and would rather fail with grace, than pass with strength. We’re called to be Jacobs and struggle knowing we’ll have the victory. It’s sad when God encourage us in a desire, He wants to bless us in that desire and we don’t trust God to carry it out. I’ve heard so many times “God gives us what we need” and they leave out God fullfills our hearts desires…and not just in heaven but while we’re here on earth waiting for pradise. God knows our faith increases with each pleasant experience. We need to pray (hope/ask) and set our aim high, on what is good and right, and trust God has set the desire in our hearts. Sometimes we are tested to continue persistently asking, to strenghten the faith for the long hauls we may later have to endure.
We need to know in our hearts that when we ask God something that He will provide it for us, now it may not be what we think it should be but it will be what we need.
And ulitimately what we want. 🙂