Proverbs 2:10 says, When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;  This can only happen after we acknowledge God.  Without acknowledging God, we can have no real wisdom.  Verse eleven states, Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:  Our discretion will be in choosing the path that God directs for us.  The understanding that God is in control will keep us under His direction.  Verse twelve says, To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;  This is still referring to being under the direction of God and being guided by the wisdom that can really only come from Him.  When we are, we will not be lead astray by evil people who teach things that are in opposition to God's word.  We can never compromise God's truth and successfully follow Him.  Verse thirteen says, Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;  Once more, we are told that we cannot deny the wisdom and teachings of God without leaving the path of uprightness, or righteousness.  We can either walk following the path that God sets for us, or we can stray away into the path of the unrighteous.  Verse fourteen continues, Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;  We know that there are people today who delight in denying God.  We also know that there are those who seem to delight in doing evil.  We also know that those who deny God and live by the power of evil seem to delight in getting others to follow them.  I believe this is especially true of those who deny that God is the Creator of the world.  Verse fifteen states, Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: This is still a continuation of the description of those who will not accept the wisdom of God.  When a person denies God, everything they do is crooked in the eyes of God, so the path that such a person followers has to be against what God teaches.  Verse sixteen says, To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;  This is a positive result of following the direction of God.  We will not give in to temptation, no matter how appealing it may appear to be, if we are living under the guidance and protection of God.  Verse seventeen states, Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.  This is in reference to a woman who would lead someone away from God by using sexual allure, but the warning could apply to anyone who would lead us astray from God's will for whatever reason.  Verse eighteen continues, For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.  As just stated, this refers to a woman leading a man into sexual misconduct, and the result of the auction leading to death.   Verse nineteen states, None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.  I believe that this is simply a reference to the power of sexual misconduct, or sin, in the life of a individual.  Matthew Henry says that is almost impossible to escape from such sinful actions.  Verse twenty states, That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.  This tells us if we want to walk in the way of good, or righteous men, then we will avoid these sexual temptations.  We hear so much about sexual misconduct conduct today, though it is usually about the man leading, or forcing, the women into the act.  Which ever one, man or woman, leads a person into such an act puts them in a dangerous situation spiritually.  Verse twenty-one says, For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.  This simply tells us that if we walk in God's path that we will remain in His kingdom, not simply by our actions but by our faith in God.  Verse twenty-two declares, But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.  This is the ultimate outcome for those who will not follow God and accept the salvation that Christ makes available.  Even if they live rich and prosperous lives, they will ultimately be cut off from the kingdom of God.

We will take a brief pause from Proverbs to reflect on the New Year.  I guess we can first reflect on last year.  Whatever it brought us, good or bad, is now gone, and can never be changed, so we cannot allow it to determine what the coming year is going to be.  We may learn from the past, but we cannot attempt to live there and find all the purpose and joy that we should in today.  As a person gets older, there is a tendency to spend more time reflecting on the past, but we cannot afford to allow this to cause us to stop living in the hope of today. As followers of Christ, we must remember that time is really of no consequence.  The time passed so far is but the blink of an eye compared to the everlasting life we have through our faith in Christ.  As far as this coming year, 2019, that we start today, we need to look forward to it with hope, since we as Christians should always be filled with the hope of Christ in our lives.  If we are to make any New Year's resolutions, the first should be to put the will of God first and to live by our faith in Christ.  Though we may make plans for the coming year, we must live today as if there were no tomorrow for us.  This moment is all that we are promised in this world, and we must make the most of it.  Just as we cannot live in the past, we cannot live in the future.  We can only live in the now, so what we do with today is all that we can control.  Many resolutions will be made today, and broken before the week is out, but we, as followers of Christ, need to resolve to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit everyday, and this is a resolution that we should not make figuring we will soon break it.  Whatever this new year brings, whether good or bad, we must put God first, then everything else will be ok.  So, happy New Year and may God bless you during this coming year as you live by your faith in Him.

Proverbs 2:1 says, My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;  Though written by Solomon, I believe that we can safely say that this refers to God.  We are God's children if we accept His gift of salvation.  After referring to us as His son, or child, there is a big if, stating that if we receive and live by God's commandments, then what is said next will be true.  God's promises are always based on our obedience to Him.  Verse two states, So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;  We are to listen for God's instructions and make them the basis of our actions.  The only way to know what God would have us do is to listen for His word to us.  We also need to understand that God's word to us will always be consistent with what His word has always said.  Verse three declares, Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;  I believe that this is the knowledge of God that we are to cry out for,, and that it is with an unwavering faith in Who He is that we are to lift up our voices.  We may have the greatest knowledge of how the world thinks, but without a knowledge of what God says it is worthless.  Verse four says, If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;  We are told that we are to seek the knowledge God as we would seek the riches of the world.  The truth of God is worth more than any treasure we might find in this world.  The question then becomes which do we seek most, earthly riches or the wisdom of God?  Verse five states, Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.  When we put searching for the truth of God ahead of material things, we are promised that we will fear, or respect, God and find His knowledge, which is the only true knowledge.  Verse six states, For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.  Once more, we are told that true wisdom comes from God.  The word of God gives us knowledge and understanding of how everything was created and is sustained, which is by the action of God.  We can either choose to believe this or not.  Verse seven says, He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.  This basically tells us that if we would be righteous, then we must believe God's word, because we can only become righteous through the grace of God.  Once we accept God's gift of salvation, of righteousness, then we must walk in righteousness in all that we do.  Verse eight says, He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.  God is the One Who keeps us on the path of righteousness.  After we become followers of Christ, we are not suddenly able to live by God's will by our own ability, but the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and to enable us to do so.  Verse nine declares, Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.  Only after we acknowledge that God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of everything can we understand His righteousness, judgment, and fairness.  When we do understand this, we will not ask how a loving God could send people to hell, but will understand that He did everything He could, short of forcing them to follow Him, to keep them from going there.

Proverbs 1:20 says, Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:  I believe that Solomon is telling us that even in all the evil of the world that wisdom will not be silenced.  Wisdom calls us to a better relationship with others, not based on our on greed for material things, especially those belonging to others.  Verse twenty-one states, She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,  Since wisdom comes from God, His wisdom can be found everywhere if we listen for it.  Verse twenty-two asks, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?  This is a warning to not rely on our own understanding or the power of false religions.  I believe that this knowledge that fools are said to hate is the knowledge of God.  Verse twenty-three declares, Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.  This was not a call for people to follow Solomon, but for people to follow God.  We are to turn from our wicked ways and follow God.  When we accept Christ, after acknowledging our own inability to save ourselves, then God does pour out His spirit on us. The Holy Spirit indwells, or lives within us.  Verse twenty-four says,  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;  God says that even though He called them, people ignored His call and His hand stretched out to them in mercy.  This has not changed, even after the coming of Christ.  Verse twenty-five states, But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:  There are so many people in the world today who do not acknowledge God.  There are also those who claim to follow Christ who do not obey His teachings or follow His leadership.  Verse twenty-six states, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;  Though this tells us that God will laugh at the calamity of those who do not accept Him, I don't believe that God really delights in the suffering of those who will not put their faith in Him.  Verse twenty-seven states, When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.  Then continuing in verse twenty-eight, Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:  This is a warning that when the fear of God comes after everything in the world has failed, which will certainly be true when God's judgment comes, that it will be to late.  We are told to seek God when He can be found, and I believe this is a warning that some people will simply wait too long to respond to God's call.  Verse twenty-nine says, For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:  There are definitely many people today who choose to not fear the Lord.  They hate anything to do with the knowledge of God, which is the true knowledge.  Verse thirty states, They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.  God will make Himself known to people, but many will not listen to His counsel.  It is not enough to just acknowledge that there might be a god, but we must listen to what the only God teaches us.  Verse thirty-one says, Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.  I believe that this simply says that people who refuse to listen to God will be allowed to live their everyday lives.  God will not just strike them down immediately.  Verse thirty-two says, For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.  I believe that this teaches us that ultimately everyone will be judged by their actions, beginning with their relationship to Christ.  Those who have rejected God and abused the poor for their own benefit will find that their prosperity is the prosperity of fools.  Anything gained while denying God will be a foolish prosperity, since it will all pass away.  Verse thirty-three declares, But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.  God promises that those who follow Him will live in safety, free from the fear of evil.  Even if we are in a situation where our lives are threatened because of our faith in Christ, we should never be afraid of the outcome.  We are  secure with God for time everlasting.

Proverbs 1:1 says, The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;  First, we see that Solomon is identified as the author.  Solomon was known as one of the wisest kings of all time, and he offers us some good advice on how to live our lives.  Verse two states, To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;  Solomon gives us the reason that he was writing these proverbs, and that is so we can know wisdom and understand the words of instruction.  Solomon sought out the truth of the world, and concluded that the purpose of mankind was to serve God.  Verse three says, To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;  These are four very important reasons to receive these instructions.  If we want wisdom, justice, judgment and equity in the world, we can only find it by being obedient to the word of God.  This is what Solomon was really sharing with us.  In verse four Solomon continues, To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.  Solomon said he was writing this to help even the simple understand what life is really about, and to teach young people knowledge and discretion.  Too often, the young people of the world are caught up in whatever the latest fad is, but we as followers of Christ must teach them the knowledge of God and discretion in their actions.  Verse five states, A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  Solomon tells us if we are wise, we will listen to what he has to say.  Verse six adds, To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.  It is not enough to just read these proverbs, but we must understand what they are really teaching us about men and women, and their relationship to God and others.  Verse seven declares, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Solomon declares that the fear, or respect, of God is the beginning of understanding.  I don't believe that fear of God means that we are afraid of Him, but means that we have an awesome respect for Him.  Verse eight states, My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:  This basically tells us that children are to respect their parents and follow their rules.  We could use a lot more of this today.  Verse nine says, For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.  I believe that this means that following the rules of parents make the children look good.  It also leads them to be better people, as a general rule.  While it is true that not all parents are looking out for the best interest of their children, almost all are.  Verse ten says, My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.  This sounds like it would be simple, logical advice to follow, but to often sin can be made to look desirable.  That is why Solomon advised us not to be enticed by sin.  The next four verses warn where this can lead.  Verse eleven declares, If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:  Then verse twelve says, Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:  Verse thirteen continues, We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:  Then verse fourteen concludes, Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:  This is basically a gang mentality.  Children are enticed to join in with the promise of gaining wealth by taking it from others and sharing it together.  There is also the lack of concern that those from whom the wealth is taken from may suffer, and maybe even the desire that they will.  We see or hear of this so often in the world today, but it is nothing new.  In verse fifteen, Solomon again warns, My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:  Solomon tells us to not follow the path of those who would steal from and harm others.  Verse sixteen says, For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.  We are warned not to be enticed by those who follow evil and have no respect for the lives of others.  Verse seventeen says, Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.  I believe that Solomon is telling us that if we could really see the trap of following those who live by the evil in their hearts that we wouldn't fall into their trap.  Verse eighteen concludes, And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.  I believe that this is a warning that ultimately those who follow after evil will pay with their own lives.  This may not occur in this lifetime, but it certainly will in God's judgment.  Verse nineteen declares, So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.  This is just a further statement that those who seek to profit from stealing and murder will one day pay for their crimes.

Another thing that we learned from the book of Matthew is that God expects us to use the things we have been blessed with, our talents, for His glory.  I believe this means abilities and resources.  God never intended to bless us just so we could keep His blessings stored away simply for our own use..  If we are to be good stewards of the things that God blesses us with, then we must use them for His glory.  We can never allow fear of losing something, whatever it might be, to keep us from using the things God blesses us with to accomplish the task He presents us with.  We are not to just sit and wait for the return of Christ, but we are to be at work for His kingdom until He returns.  We also learned that we are to be prepared for the return of Christ at any moment.  When Jesus returns, it will be to late to suddenly realize that we need Him.  We must make the decision to follow Jesus in this lifetime and before His return.  We also learn that bold professions of faith are not enough if we don't follow through with them.  We, like Peter, may claim to follow Jesus even if it cost us our lives, then fail to stay awake to pray for an hour.  I believe that most of our tests of faith will come in the little things, and if we fail there, we will most likely fail when the big tests come.  We also learn that the crucifixion of Christ was something that He willingly endured.  In spite of what some movies may depict, I do not believe that Jesus wavered on the way to the cross.  Jesus had already prayed that if there was another way, let it be shown to Him, and the answer was that there was not.  There is still no other way today.  Then, we learn that the cross and tomb were not the end.  The really good news of the book of Matthew is that Jesus arose from the dead and goes before us to prepare a place for us.  This is the message that we, as followers of Christ, are to proclaim to the world today.  Next, we will look at the book of Proverbs.

We also learned that many people followed Jesus simply because of the miracles that He performed, and not because they believed that He really was the Messiah.  It is not enough to follow Jesus because we have seen a miracle performed in someone's life, without accepting Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of all who believe in Him.  It is easy to get caught up in the miraculous things that we see God doing in the world, but still have doubt about Jesus being the only way to salvation.  The crowds that enthusiastically followed Jesus were the same ones who said to crucify Him, and they were led by the religious leaders in calling for Jesus' crucifixion.  Being religious, following all the rituals associated with being a Christian, is not enough.  Being baptized and being in church is not enough without a spiritual relationship with Christ.  We also learn that we are to have compassion for those around us, especially those in need.  Jesus was never too busy to help those who came to Him in faith asking for His help and He didn't overlooked the everyday needs of people.  Jesus healed the lame, deaf, and blind, but He also feed the multitudes when He saw that they were hungry and had no where to get food.  We can rely on God to meet our needs.  I don't believe that means that God will heal all our illnesses in this life, but that as long as we reach out to Him in faith that one day all illnesses will be healed.  I also believe that sometimes our illnesses will be miraculously healed in this lifetime, but the main point is that our sins are forgiven if we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and the Lord of our lives.  Some people lose faith because they say that they prayed for healing, or anything else for that matter, and they didn't get it.  As followers of Christ, we must have an everlasting point of view.  Whatever happens before the return of Christ, we are already a part of His everlasting kingdom, where pain and sorrow will be no more.