• ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ–:๐Ÿ• ๐–๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ค๐ž๐ž๐ฉ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง: ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐š ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐š๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ...
    Jul 27 2024
    Do you want to make your father happy? Then obey Godโ€™s commands and get away from those who play most of the time. A father is shamed when he knows that his son usually wants to play with the boys. A father is honored when he knows that his son values Godโ€™s word and sober, diligent living above all else in life. Children, do you hear Solomon? Wise children grow up. Paul said, โ€œWhen I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish thingsโ€ (I Cor 13:11). Foolish children never grow up (Pr 10:5). They are fascinated with playing games, following sports, working out, buying cars, hanging out, racing motorcycles, chewing the fat, or otherwise wasting their lives in vain pursuits with one another. Wise sons keep Godโ€™s law. What is the first commandment? โ€œAnd thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mightโ€ (Deut 6:5). What commandment comes next? โ€œAnd the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyselfโ€ (Matt 22:39). Fathers love to see their sons do these two things. What is a riotous man? An undisciplined, extravagant, and wasteful man, who is given to excessive revelry, like the prodigal son (Pr 23:19-22; 29:3; Luke 15:13). What is revelry? Having a wild good time (Gal 5:21; I Pet 4:3)! Paul ordered saints to avoid rioting (Rom 13:13), which was a rebuke for too much fun, too much partying. What goes with reveling? Drunkenness, gluttony, banqueting, and surfeiting (Pr 23:20; Luke 21:34)! Solomon warned against keeping company with such men. Evil communications corrupt good manners, and wise sons will not choose friends from such men (I Cor 15:33). A son that hangs around with jocks, car lovers, gluttons, party animals, cool dudes, or foolish young men is a shame to his father. His father does not understand the attraction. It is a sin against these proverbs to associate with such fools (Pr 4:14-17; 9:6; 13:20; 14:7). America in the 21st century is addicted to pleasure and recreation. It is a nation of riotous men. Contemporary Christians fulfill the sober warning of men being lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (II Tim 3:4). The church basketball and softball teams get more attention and passion than the preaching of Godโ€™s word. These are riotous Christians! Young man! Where is your heart? Is it meditating in Godโ€™s law day and night (Ps 1:1-3)? Do you hate vain thoughts but love His law (Ps 119:113)? Do you use extra time for Godโ€™s word or recreation? Your father can see where your heart is by the location of your treasure โ€“ where you make your investments of energy, time, and money (Matt 6:21). Young man! Does Godโ€™s law rule your thoughts and activities about women? About beer? About food? About time? About speech? About sleep? About friends? About diligent labor in your job? About giving your money to God? About saving your money? About music? About clothes? About your wife? About your parents? About any children? Parent! Train your son while there is hope (Pr 19:18). Train him now, and he will live wisely when older (Pr 22:6). It is a child left to himself that brings parents to shame (Pr 29:15). Correct him, and he will bring you rest and delight (Pr 29:17). Teach him the fear of the Lord and bring him up in the Lordโ€™s nurture and admonition (Ps 34:11; Eph 6:4).
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    5 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•:๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ ๐“๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ž ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐, ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐š๐ค๐ž ๐ง๐จ๐ญ; ๐ง๐ž๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐ ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฒ ๐›๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ’๐ฌ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž...
    Jul 26 2024
    Great men have great friends. Here is precious wisdom. But very few men qualify as great friends. It is very prudent to keep such friends, even above a blood brother. A small band of committed and virtuous friends is far better than the natural relationship of family. Blood may be thicker than water, as it is said, but it is not thicker than godly character in Jesus Christ! โ€œThere is a friend that sticketh closer than a brotherโ€ (Pr 18:24). When trouble comes, and it will come, you want a real friend to stand with you, one that loves at all times and considers your problems to be his own (Pr 17:17). You want a friend that thinks the same as you and will stand with you no matter the cost or difficulty. A cultivated friendship based on character, conviction, truth, and wisdom will far surpass the expected help of a natural brother that is only connected to you by blood and name. Your success depends on great friends, for there are four benefits (Eccl 4:9-12). When God gives such a friend, it is a great blessing. Solomon used this proverb to help his son rule a great nation that stretched from the Euphrates to Egypt. He himself had benefited much by his fatherโ€™s friends, Hiram the King of Tyre (II Sam 5:11; I Kgs 5:1-18) and Benaiah, captain of the bodyguards (II Sam 20:23; 23:20-23; I Kgs 1:38; 2:25-46). Consider inspired history. Joseph found greater kindness from foreign captors than his brothers. David found greater loyalty and service from vagabonds than his envious brothers, and he found greater love and loyalty from Jonathan. Jesus found greater sympathy and loyalty from His disciples than His brothers (John 7:1-5; Luke 22:15). He knew His true friends were those who heard the word of God and kept it (Matt 12:46-50). God chose David for his pure heart (I Sam 16:6-13). Jonathan saw this clearer than his envious brothers did (I Sam 17:28). Though losing much, he loved him dearly (I Sam 18:1-4). Loving virtue above family and career, Jonathan chose David over his own father (I Sam 19:1-7). They made a vow against the blood ties of Jonathan (I Sam 20:1-17) and included their children (I Sam 23:42). David valued Jonathanโ€™s love above women (II Sam 1:26), and he saved Jonathanโ€™s son when he was in need (II Sa 9:1; 21:7). Godly friends are superior to blood brothers, for the relationship is built on a better foundation. They are superior for their regenerated hearts, the precious blood of Christ, the absolute truth of Godโ€™s Word, godly hatred of compromise, a life pursuit of holiness, and the hope of eternal life. The Bible recognizes these friends as dear as oneโ€™s own soul, even distinguishing them from a precious wife (Deut 13:6; I Sam 18:1,3; 20:17). Do you understand the importance of this lesson? Without great friendships based in godliness, who will help in the day of your calamity? You will go down and stay down. Two are better than one for four reasons, and you risk your future by not securing good friends for it (Eccl 4:9-12). A wise man will secure his life and that of his family by doing what is necessary to preserve vital friendships with noble and virtuous men. There is a place for godly networking, though the objective and methods are infinitely superior to the worldโ€™s effort to find contacts and customers for their own selfish ends. The great God instructed His messengers to be lovers of good men (Titus 1:8), as Paul was of Timothy (Acts 16:1-3; Phil 2:19-23; II Tim 1:1-5). Most so-called Christians have no clue about great friends, because they despise men that are holy (II Tim 3:1-5). What kinds of friends meet the intent of this proverb? The context, unusual in Proverbs, gives valuable traits of godly friends (Pr 27:4-5,9). True friends love at all times, whether you are in good or bad circumstances (Pr 17:17). They are chosen for their fear of God, love of truth, and personal righteousness (Ps 119:63). Do you know such men? You cannot cheat on any of these measures, or you will lose the benefit...
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    8 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ”:๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’ ๐‡๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ž๐œ๐ž๐ข๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ;
    Jul 25 2024
    Not every friend loves you. Some who say they love you are hiding hatred in wicked hearts. They dissemble, or pretend, to be your friends, and they lie to cover their evil thoughts and ambitions. But wise men learn this terrible deceitfulness and wickedness of human nature, and they protect themselves by not putting much stock in flattering words. The larger context here is a 12-verse description of how wicked men destroy people and relationships (Pr 26:16-28). Solomon condemned meddling, deceitful jesting, talebearing, evil speaking, ensnaring, lying, and flattering. Because their deeds are so cruel, these wicked men generally hide their intentions under gestures of friendship and kind words. The smaller context describes lying hypocrites, who pretend to be friends, but they have seven abominations in their hearts. The lesson is to not believe all you hear, especially flattering words of affection (Pr 26:25; 14:15; Jer 9:8; 12:6; Mic 7:1-6). For those who trust God and follow His wisdom, He will expose these liars and their hatred (Pr 26:26). Only ignorant fools think men and women have good and honest hearts by nature. God has plainly declared that human hearts are desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). Their throats, tongues, lips, and mouths are all cruel and deadly (Rom 3:13-14). This is typical of ungodly men: โ€œThe words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swordsโ€ (Ps 55:21). Consider Bible examples. Cain talked kindly to Abel, before killing him (Gen 4:8). Simeon and Levi planned a marriage, but only to slaughter a city (Gen 34:6-31). Josephโ€™s brothers comforted their father about Joseph, after selling him as a slave (Gen 37:31-36). King Saul flattered David and offered his daughters, but sought to destroy him (I Sam 18:17-29). Joab feigned kindness to Abner, but only to murder him (II Sam 3:27). Absalom appeared content with Amnon, but only to kill him (II Sam 13:22-29). Absalom flattered Israel, but only for sedition (II Sam 15:1-6). Joab asked Amasa of his health, but only to kill him (II Sam 20:9-10). Herod spoke of worshipping Jesus, but had murder in his heart (Matt 2:1-18). Judas kissed the Lord, but only to betray Him (Matt 26:47-50). Wise men learn to be deaf to flattery and praise and attentive to rebukes (Pr 2:16; 6:24; 7:5; 20:19; 29:5). They know open rebuke is better than secret love (Pr 27:5; 28:23). They prefer the wounds of a friend than the kisses of an enemy (Pr 27:6; Ps 141:5). They know there is little profit in receiving praise, and it can lead to much harm (Pr 26:28). Measure all men by the fear of the Lord. Where there is little or no fear of God visible, you should not fully trust that person. The rule is easy to grasp and to apply. Nehemiah wisely rejected Sanballatโ€™s invitation to a meeting (Neh 6:1-4). But foolish Gedaliah and other sincere Jews believed the lies and tears of Ishmael to their ruin (Jer 40:7-16; 41:1-7) Solomon wrote this proverb to warn about the hidden dangers of flattery and hypocrisy in relationships, but a loving Father in heaven will expose deceitful and vicious thoughts and intentions (Pr 26:25-26). He alone knows the heart, and He knows all the heart (Jer 17:10; Heb 4:13). Patiently practice wisdom, and leave discovery and vengeance to Him. Not only will God expose such duplicity and dissimulation, He will also cast the wicked persons into the trouble they had planned for others (Pr 26:27). Absalom was killed cruelly by darts while hanging in a tree (II Sam 18:9-15). Hamanโ€™s gallows were used to stretch his neck and those of his ten sons (Est 7:10; 9:13-14). Danielโ€™s adversaries were eaten by lions, which had slept peacefully with Daniel the night before (Dan 6:21-24).
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    6 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“:๐Ÿ ๐“๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐’๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง, ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐œ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‡๐ž๐ณ๐ž๐ค๐ข๐š๐ก ๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐‰๐ฎ๐๐š๐ก ๐œ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ž๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ.
    Jul 24 2024
    Here is a reminder you are studying Solomonโ€™s proverbs. You have the personal counsel of a very successful king, whom God inspired with divine wisdom and great ability of observation and analysis. The proverbs you have in the following chapters were selected from many by the careful work of men appointed by Hezekiah, another great king. There is value in this verse of Scripture, or the LORD Jehovah would not have given it to you. There are two intermissions in the book of Proverbs, one at Proverbs 10:1, and one here. God gave you a break to consider again what special words you are reading. Consider the matter carefully, and you will see that here also is wisdom for your learning. God gave Solomon, son of David and king of Israel, much wisdom and a large heart (I Kgs 3:10-15). He immediately showed Israel his great sense of judgment by dealing with two prostitutes in a wonderful way (I Kgs 3:16-28). He was wiser than all men, and wise men and kings came from all nations to hear him speak on any subject (I Kgs 4:29-34). God also gave Solomon the other things needed for a full experiment in discovering purpose and pleasure for life. He was a very attractive man (I Sam 16:12; II Sam 11:2); he had unlimited capital (Eccl 2:10); he had no wars or disturbances (I Kgs 4:24-25); and he was an absolute ruler at the height of the power of the Israelite nation (I Kgs 4:20-21). Consider! He was incredibly skilled and desirable socially; he could afford anything he wanted; he had no opposition or wars to distract him; and everyone would do exactly what he wanted. His great laboratory for experimenting with life was exceptional. No man or group of men, before or since, can approach his research opportunities or ability in analyzing and summarizing the results. Surveying the homeless does not cut it. Solomon committed his life to discovering manโ€™s purpose and pleasure in life (Eccl 1:3,12-13). He tried it all, and then some. Wealth? Silver was as common as gravel (I Kgs 10:14-29). Women? He had seven hundred princess wives and three hundred concubines, many of whom he loved with his extra large heart (I Kgs 11:1-3). Entertainment? He tried everything there was to try, in staggering excess (Eccl 2:1-10). Prestige? The wise men and kings of the earth came with presents annually to hear him talk (I Kgs 10:1-25). At the end of his grand and exhaustive experiment of life, he carefully sought out good words to teach his people the truth about what he had learned. He summarized his vast learning in 3000 meticulously devised and acceptable proverbs โ€“ short, substantial, and powerful sayings of truth and wisdom for the people to learn his knowledge (Eccl 12:9-10). And the proverbs were further refined by divine inspiration from God (Eccl 12:11). Can you hear from heaven, โ€œThese are the true sayings of Godโ€ (Rev 19:9)? Where does Hezekiah fit in? He was a glorious king in his own right, a descendant of David and Solomon (II Chron 32:27-30). He was exceptionally wise and zealous in the reformation and revival of true religion in Israel, like in the days of David and Solomon (II Chron 29:2; 30:21-27; 31:1-21). He appointed men, under the direct guidance of God, to select the proverbs used from this point to the end of the book of Proverbs, for you. What an incredible gift! Can you believe it? You have a book of about 500 of the choicest proverbs of Solomonโ€™s learning, edited to perfection by the Creator God, and carefully selected by the appointment of another great king. Here is the wisdom of the greatest king and of God Himself for you to live prosperously. Give God great praise. Now, dear reader, what will you do with these short, pithy statements of wisdom called proverbs? Will you read them as quaint sayings of ancient religious literature? Will you marvel at their brevity and variety? Or will you humble yourself before them with a trembling heart and beg the Lord to teach you in your soul all the wisdom each contains?
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    7 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’:๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ๐„๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐š ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ.
    Jul 23 2024
    Excellent speech, appropriate answers, and words of truth are wonderful things. Good men perceive and respect such wise use of language. They will love the man who answers matters well with noble lips. Here is a goal for prudent men โ€“ excellent speech. The tongue and lips โ€“ the faculty of speech โ€“ are potent tools for good or evil. In many proverbs and elsewhere in the Bible, men are strongly warned against misuse of the tongue and exhorted to wise use of it (Pr 10:19; 12:18; 15:4; 18:21; Jas 1:19; 3:2-10). One of the most direct routes to wisdom and godliness is learning excellent speech. Evil or foolish speech is the quickest and clearest evidence of a fool (Pr 17:28; 18:7; Eccl 5:3). But good words and answers of a noble man are as beautiful as fine art (Pr 10:20; 25:11). A wise man by virtuous use of his mouth can feed many (Pr 15:4,23; 10:21). And good men love those who speak well (Pr 12:14; 16:13; 22:11; Job 6:25). By the little context of this proverb, see the emphasis on the beauty of judges giving right answers (Pr 24:23-25). Excellent speech is by diligent use of Solomonโ€™s rules. Excellent speech requires preparation (Pr 15:28), hesitation (Pr 25:8), humiliation (Pr 26:12), limitation (Pr 17:27), discretion (Pr 26:4-5), certain words of truth (Pr 22:21), and graciousness (Pr 22:11). One of the basic rules for professional success is gracious speech coming from a pure heart (Ps 22:11), for wise men speak graciously (Ec 10:12). Even high and mighty men will honor the person that speaks righteously (Pr 16:13). Can you improve your speech? One of the basic rules for relational success is gracious speech. A woman that learns to be gracious with her words will always be esteemed by others (Pr 11:16; 31:26). It is soft and gentle words that win the hearts of others, even when they are angry (Pr 15:1; 25:15). Paul would say, โ€œLet your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every manโ€ (Col 4:6). He understood the purpose and object of speech to be the kind and gracious building up of the hearer (Eph 4:29). Do your words provide health to hearers, or do you leave them bleeding (Pr 12:18; 16:24)? The Lord Jesus was the Master at giving right answers (Matt 22:46). Consider with great pleasure how He responded to efforts by the Jews to trap Him in His words, for He would confound them on the spot. When He spoke in general, the people were astonished (Matt 7:28-29). His enemies said, โ€œNever man spake like this manโ€ (John 7:46)! He also blessed His disciples with wisdom and speech to confound their enemies, even without preparation (Luke 21:12-15). The deacon Stephen brought the great hatred of the Jews on him for their inability to resist his wise speech by the Spirit of Christ (Acts 6:10). If His preachers are described as having beautiful feet (Is 52:7: Rom 10:15), should they not also qualify for a kiss on the lips, since they bring the glad tidings of good things? It is your Christian duty to grow in the ability to teach and defend the truth of the gospel. Paul rebuked the Hebrew saints for their lack of progress toward teaching (Heb 5:12-14). And Peter exhorted his readers to be ready to give reasonable answers, not feelings, for their hope in Jesus Christ (I Pet 3:15). Dear reader, do you deserve a kiss on the lips?
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    4 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘:๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘ ๐–๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐ก๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐Ÿ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐: ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ข๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ ๐›๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ซ๐จ๐, ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ž.
    Jul 22 2024
    Corporal punishment for children is a law from heaven. It is not an option, suggestion, or theory. Its purpose is simple โ€“ save children from premature and unnecessary death. Debating or opposing this command makes you an accomplice in child murder, for you reject Godโ€™s means of saving childrenโ€™s lives. Let God be true, but every man a liar! The world assumes and believes it has a better idea โ€“ let children do whatever they wish, and the freedom will motivate them to be disciplined and wise on their own. Add a daily dose of the public zoo, MTV, revolutionary music, and texting moronic peers, and they will grow like weeds into the weed-smoking educators that invented the anti-God idea! The fruit of this experiment is obvious to all but the willfully blind โ€“ youth today, and the so-called adults they become, are narcissistic, snotty, ignorant, lazy, and rebellious fools, as the Bible warned and defined (Pr 22:15; 29:15; Ps 14:1). The proof of this indictment is beyond the scope of this commentary, but the moral degeneration of the last few generations is easily observed and quantified by nearly any measure of social integrity. The correction here is corporal punishment, for it involves the use of a rod. Your grandparents understood it well, for spanking was obvious to their sober minds. The rod had much to do with the former greatness of America and the tranquility of its society. Let Britannica Encyclopedia (14th Edition) remind the ignorant or effeminate: FLOGGING has been one of the most universally utilized methods of punishing public crimes, as well as a means of preserving family, domestic, military and academic discipline. The instruction from God and Solomon is to use this form of correction with children. It must be administered to save their lives, and it should be done early (Pr 13:24; 19:18). It is the mark of true love (Pr 3:12; 13:24), for parents with a great desire for their childrenโ€™s futures will want to drive foolishness out of their hearts (Pr 22:15; 29:15,17). Parents rejecting the use of a rod hate their children and will cause them harm, for they will grow up with innate folly ruling them to their own hurt. Any sentimental drivel or twaddle to the contrary is irrelevant, for the permissive actions of the parents prove disregard for their childrenโ€™s futures. Sober obedience to authority saves lives, but merely grounding a child or withholding an allowance for a day or two will not train it into them. How can children die? A thousand ways! Suicide is self-murder by unruled emotion. Undisciplined children disobey speed limits, drug laws, gun laws, and police authority. They flaunt anger, envy, and pride, which can cause fatal conflicts. Undisciplined children violate marital and other contracts, which can bring murder or public execution. Of course, Solomon wrote under a government practicing capital punishment. But there are other ways to die as well. Some jobs are dead end, because an untrained child will not obey authority, get along with others, or pursue a transferable skill. Some marriages are dead, because childish pride and selfishness destroyed the union designed for peace and pleasure. Fools can ruin other relationships, and a soul can practically die from the pain and trouble caused by his own foolishness (Pr 5:7-14; 7:21-23; 9:16-18). Corporal punishment consistently and lovingly administered will prevent these different ways people die. Thankfully, God loves His children enough to chasten and scourge them (Heb 12:5-10). Turning a person back to truth saves a soul from death and hides a multitude of sins (Jas 5:19-20), and sometimes it may take stronger methods to get them to turn (Pr 26:3; 29:19). God has spoken; this issue is not debatable (Ps 119:128; Is 8:20).
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    5 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ:๐Ÿ– ๐‡๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ฉ ๐ฏ๐š๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐Ÿ๐š๐ข๐ฅ.
    Jul 21 2024
    Sin will not work. Hypocrisy will not work. If you sin with a goal in mind, you will lose it. Sin will bring vanity โ€“ profitless and worthless loss. If you use anger or violence to pursue your sinful way, it will not work. You will fail miserably. Do not lie to yourself, for only godliness and righteousness will succeed and bring a good reward (Pr 11:18). You reap what you sow. โ€œBe not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reapโ€ (Gal 6:7). Why the warning about deception? Because men believe they can get away with sin. But God will not be mocked. You cannot make light of His word by sinning against it. He will grind you to powder for rebellion. Repent! Anger or violence will not bring success to sinful ways. You may temporarily force others into submission, but your wicked ways will not succeed. There is One much higher than you, and He will crush your feeble attempts to promote yourself and defend your sinful life (Eccl 5:8). Consider foolish Sennacherib (Is 10:5-19). Consider Pharoah. Not all anger is wrong. The anger condemned here is the rage or violence of a man living in sin. Phinehas was angry in a righteous cause, and it brought him a great blessing (Num 25:1-15). Jesus was angry, but His rod did not fail at all (Mark 3:5). Sinful anger fails. You cannot cheat Godโ€™s laws and succeed. He will not allow it. If He allowed it, then His justice and righteousness mean nothing. If you compromise in any area of your life, you will pay for it. No matter what your intentions, they will not be achieved. You lose. David tried to enjoy Bathsheba without consequences, but she conceived. He got her husband drunk to cover the sin, but he was too faithful. He cruelly killed him and married his wife, but it cost their childโ€™s life and brought much judgment. David lost terribly. A hypocritical father using anger to dominate his children will lose horribly in the end โ€“ guaranteed. A wife defrauding her husband sexually to protect pride will lose miserably. A husband sneaking pornography cannot win his wife to be the dear lover he craves. An unfair employer will not survive in the end no matter how he plays his managerial cards. Covetous men who do not give will not keep their estate by diligence or frugality (Pr 11:24; 21:13; Hag 1:1-11). A rebel child will not advance far no matter how energetic he might be to prove himself (Pr 20:20; 30:17). The joy of the religious hypocrite, who pretends on Sundays, is very short (Job 20:4-29). Be sure your sin will find you out. But there is forgiveness from God for those who confess their sins, repent from their errors, and turn back to righteousness (Pr 28:13; I John 1:9). If you then sow godliness, you will reap Godโ€™s great reward of blessing and favor (Pr 11:18; Ps 19:11; Jas 1:25).
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    5 mins
  • ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐›๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ:๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘ ๐–๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ฌ ๐š๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐œ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐จ๐ซ, ๐ก๐ž ๐š๐ฅ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐œ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ก๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐›๐ž...
    Jul 20 2024
    You will be heard in the same way you hear! If you ignore requests by the poor for help, God and others will not hear you when you desperately cry out to Him or them for help. Of course, this rule only applies to the truly poor โ€“ those with acts of God in their lives. Truth and wisdom from God do not allow you to help those that are poor due to laziness. You do not like to get involved? Others will take care of the poor? You are too busy? You are saving for the future and have no money for the poor? You did not know the need was great? You will help next time? God will apply similar excuses to you, when you cry for help, for He sees your hatred, laziness, selfishness, covetousness, and greed. When you are in need, when a calamity strikes fear into your heart and mind, and you cry out for Godโ€™s mercy to deliver and help you, He will not hear your prayers; He will laugh at you, and He will send a curse instead (Pr 1:26-31; 28:27). But He will always hear the cry of the poor that cry against you for not helping them when you could (Ex 22:21-24). A Jewish priest and a Levite ignored their own wounded countryman lying wounded in a ditch (Luke 10:30-32). They did not want to get involved. They were too busy. They had plans for the day. They had uses for their money. But a Samaritan, whose nation resented the Jews by cultural bias, had mercy on the wounded man and cared for him (Luke 10:33-35; John 4:9). This man loved his neighbor, and he was surely blessed. You may be sure that the great God of heaven ignored the priest and Levite later in their own hour of need. God watches out for the poor. Do not forget it (Deut 15:7-11; Ps 68:5). He sees when you ignore them; He sees when you help them. He will curse the one action and bless the other (Pr 11:26; 19:17; 22:9; 24:11-12; 28:27; 29:7; Ps 41:1-3). And so will men! They will return your lack of mercy back on you in your hour of need. It is your choice, but the consequences are terrible. Do not ignore a legitimate need, when you become aware of it. Only the legitimate poor matter in the sight of God. Foolish or lazy men should starve; they deserve nothing (Pr 20:4; II Thess 3:10). You are first bound to care for your own family (I Tim 5:8), then for the poor in your church (Acts 2:44-45), then for the poor in other true churches (Acts 11:27-30), and then for strangers that God may put in your path in the ordinary course of life (Luke 10:25-37; Job 31:16-22). The Bible does not obligate you to feel burdened for the worldโ€™s poor, for these four responsibilities will be enough. When you plan a dinner and consider whom to invite, you should invite those who are needy and cannot repay. God will repay. This is the law of Jesus Christ (Luke 14:12-14). Do not think only of your friends, for the great God of heaven will see this selfishness and ignore you in the day of your calamity. There are reasons why some men are blessed and others are cursed. How attentive and compassionate is your mind toward the poor? A great evidence of eternal life is a manโ€™s willingness to give money to help the poor in the name of Jesus Christ. This is called the labor of love, and it proves election (I Thes 1:2-4; Gal 5:6). God will never forget acts of charity toward His children (Heb 6:10; Matt 25:31-46). A generous man can lay up a good foundation for the time to come โ€“ the Day of Judgment โ€“ and lay hold on eternal life by this kind of cheerful giving (I Tim 6:17-19). Are you a liberal man? Or churlish, like Nabal? God loves and blesses the former and hates and curses the latter (Is 32:5-8; I Sam 25:2-3). Which are you? Liberal souls are creative and generous to think how to help those in need โ€“ and God accepts and blesses them, both now and in the Day of Judgment (Is 32:8; Pr 22:9). Churlish men are selfish and evil, and they resent helping others, no matter their need, because they are wicked.
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    7 mins