Proverbs 4:14 says, Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.  As followers of Christ, we can be certain that He will never lead us down the path of the wicked, so if we are on that path it is by following our own will.  The path of the wicked may even look tempting, but we cannot allow ourselves to follow it.  Verse fifteen states,  Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.  This is just a further warning not to be tempted to go down the path of the wicked.  We can either follow God through wisdom that leads us to faith in Christ, or we can follow the way of the wicked.  There are no other choices.  Verse sixteen says, For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.  Solomon says that the wicked cannot even sleep until they have carried out some evil plan.  I believe this means that the wicked are always plotting ways to gain from their actions, no matter what.  Verse seventeen continues, For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.  I believe that Solomon is saying that everything that the wicked do is guided by their wickedness.  What we must realize is that anything we do that is not done in accordance with God's will is wicked, even if it might not seem substantial in the eyes of the world.  Verse eighteen declares, But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.  The way of the just, those who follow Christ, is a filled with the light of God.  We do not have to stumble around in darkness, and the farther down the path we get, the brighter it should become.   Verse nineteen says, The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.  I believe this means since the wicked do not acknowledge the wisdom of God that they don't even realize that they are stumbling around in darkness.  If we do not acknowledge God, then we cannot acknowledge our sins, which leaves us in spiritual darkness.  Verse twenty states, My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.  Then verse twenty-one adds, Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.   This is a call for us to live by the things that we are taught in the Bible.  These are more than Solomon's words to his son.  They are God's words to all people who would follow Him.  Verse twenty-two says, For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.   The word of God is indeed life to those who find it.  We are made whole by the our faith in Christ, Who God's word will always point us to.  Verse twenty-three adds, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Though we might see the mind as the source of all thoughts, we still tend to see the heart as the center of all emotions.  We are to keep our feelings, our deepest self, diligently devoted to God.  Verse twenty-four states, Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.  I believe this is a call to have what we say to bring honor to God.  Verse twenty-five states, Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.   This tells us that we are to keep our eyes on the path that God leads us on and to not become distracted by the things of this world.  Verse twenty-six says, Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  I believe that this is a call for us to always be thinking about where we are going in life.  We should always know where God is leading us.  Verse twenty-seven warns, Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.  Once we know the path of God, we are not to stray off it in any direction.  We are just to follow the path that God set's before us if we are truly to be followers of Christ.

Proverbs 4:1 says, Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.  Though this is addressed to the children of Solomon, we need to view it as being addressed to the followers of Christ, by the heavenly Father.  We are His children when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we certainly need to listen, to truly hear, what our heavenly Father has to say to us.  Verse two states, For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.  Any good doctrine that Solomon could give was based on the knowledge of God and obedience to God's will.  It is God's law that we must follow.  Verse three says, For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.  Just as David taught Solomon about God, we are to teach our children.  Still, David could not make Solomon right with God, just as we cannot make our children right with God.  We can only point them to Christ, and then they must make their own choice about God.  Verse four states, He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.  David called on Solomon to keep the commandments of God and live.  We are called on to accept Christ as our Savior, and then to live with Him as our Lord.  This is the only way to truly live.  Verse five declares, Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.  The only way to get wisdom is by accepting God's teachings, beginning with salvation through Christ.  If we do not accept this gift of grace, the we will never gain wisdom, no matter how educated we may become.  Verse six says, Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.  This is still referring to the wisdom of God.  If we do not forsake God's wisdom, it will preserve and keep us spiritually safe.  Verse seven states, Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.  Wisdom, which comes from God, is the principal behind all understanding of how the world works.  Without God's wisdom, we cannot have an understanding of the spiritual nature of life.  Verse eight continues, Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.  We are to lift up the wisdom of God.  When we live by the wisdom of God, it will bring honor to us.  Verse nine adds, She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.  Solomon spent quite a bit of time extolling the need to gain wisdom, which once again I believe can only come from God and leads us to a better understanding of God.  We should realize the importance of gaining the wisdom of God.  Verse ten says, Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.  Once more, hearing God's word alone is not enough.  We must receive, or believe, it for it to be of any value to us.  When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, which can only come through the wisdom of God, we gain everlasting life with God.  Verse eleven states, I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. Just as Solomon said he had taught his son the way of wisdom, even more so does the heavenly Father teaching His children the way of wisdom.  God will always lead us down the right path.  Verse twelve says, When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.  The wisdom of God will not only lead us down the straight path of righteousness, but by faith in that wisdom we will be strengthened for our journey.  We cannot only walk, but we can run without stumbling.  Verse thirteen declares, Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.  We must never let go of the wisdom and guidance of God.  There should never be a reason to doubt God's instruction.

Proverbs 3:25 says, Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.  Just as we were told that we could sleep without fear, or in peace, here we are told to live without fear of the things of this world.  Once more we are not told that the desolation of the wicked may come, but that it will.  Through our faith in Christ though, we should never become suddenly overcome with fear of anything in this world.  Verse twenty-six states, For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.  When confronted with the evil of the world, we are told that our confidence should be in God.  When we live by faith, God will keep our souls safe forever, so there is no need to fear whatever happens in this life.  Verse twenty-seven says  Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.   We are to do what is best for others whenever we can.  Christianity is not a selfish religion that claims that somehow those who are Christians deserve more of the things of this world than other people do.  We are called to reach out to the world with the love of God.  Verse twenty-eight says, Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.  We are told to help our neighbor today if we have the ability to do so.  We are not to just put them off with a promise of what we will do for them tomorrow.  Verse twenty-nine states, Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.  Having just been called on to help our neighbors,  we are now warned to not devise ways to harm them.  When we allow greed and materialism to rule our lives, we will too often think only of ways to gain more of the things of the world, even if our neighbors are harmed in the process.  We cannot serve God simply for our own material benefit.  Verse thirty advises, Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.  Some people seem to simply have a hard time getting along with anyone, but we are told not to be that way.  We are not to fight with our neighbors simply because they may be hard to get along with.  I believe that even if they have done us harm that we are still to reach out to them with the love of God.  Verse thirty-one says, Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.  We are never to be envious of anyone, especially those who have become rich through the oppression of others.  We are to choose the way of God instead, which calls us to want what is best for others.  Verse thirty-two says, For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.  Those who put themselves first in everything are an abomination to God.  They refuse to hear His call and follow His leadership.  Verse thirty-three states,The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.  I do not believe that this refers to material things, but to spiritual things.  A poor person who follows God is spiritually blessed and at peace in the world, whereas those who deny God will never be satisfied, because something is missing spiritually.  Verse thirty-four says, Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.  Those who scorn, or deny and ridicule God will likewise be scorned by God.  Those who are lowly, or humble themselves before God, will be given God's grace.  The choice is up to the individual.  Verse thirty-five declares, The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.  The wise are those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, and the foolish are those who reject Him.  The wise inherit glory.  They do not earn it, but it is theirs by their being born again into the kingdom of God.  The fool is some who has said in his or her heart that there is no God, and eternal punishment is that person's choice.  There is no neutral ground with a person's relationship to God.

Proverbs 3:13 says, Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  I believe that there is a difference between gaining knowledge and gaining wisdom.  True wisdom comes from understanding how God works in the world and how He expects us to live in the world.  Knowledge is more an accumulation of facts, but wisdom allows us to see God behind those facts.  Many people, who have a great deal of knowledge, attempt to explain how the world was created and functions without the wisdom of God behind it all, but through the wisdom of God, we must acknowledge that He is the Creator and Sustainer.  Verse fourteen states, For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.  Some people equate wisdom with riches, but God tells us that wisdom is more important than riches, and therefore separate from them.  Many people gain great riches without ever having any true wisdom, which can only come from God.  Verse fifteen says, She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.  This is a continuation of the discussion of the value of wisdom over material things.  We are told that wisdom is more precious than anything else that we might desire.  This would imply that we should spend more time and effort on gaining the wisdom of God than we do on gaining material blessings.  Verse sixteen states, Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.  Living by wisdom can bring long life and riches, but this may not be in this world.  If we are wise enough to live by faith in God, then we have everlasting life and security.  Verse seventeen declares, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.  I don't believe that this means that all war and fighting will cease when we gain the wisdom of God, but that we can live with peace in our souls in spite of all that is going on in the world.  Because we are God's children forever when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we should not allow the things of this world to rob us of our peace through our faith in Him.  Verse eighteen states , She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.  Once more, since true wisdom comes from accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord, then wisdom is indeed a tree of life to those who claim this wisdom.  Verse nineteen declares, The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.  This verse tells us that the heavens and earth were founded on the wisdom of God.  This disputes the theory based on the knowledge of man that the heavens and earth were created by some cosmic explosion.  God created the heavens and earth to function in a specific way, and He continues to keep it working in accordance with His will.  Verse twenty states, By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.  This is more than just intelligent design by some creative force.  This is a statement that everything was created in accordance with God's design.  Verse twenty-one says, My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:  We are advised to never forget that God is behind it all, and that by doing so, we display sound wisdom.  Verse twenty-two says, So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.  Wisdom that comes from God, the only true wisdom, will bring life to our souls.  Until we have the wisdom to accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, our souls are spiritually dead.  Though the soul is the everlasting part of every person, it is separated from God until we come to Him through Christ.  When we accept Christ, we are spiritually alive with God forever.  Verse twenty-three states, Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.  I believe that this is referring to walking safely spiritually without stumbling.  When we live by God's direction, under the guidance of His wisdom, we are safe from the power of sin forever, and we should never stumble in our walk with Him.  This is true even when the world around us seems to be going insane.  The wisdom of God is still true.  Verse twenty-four says, When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.  When we are secure in our relationship with God, physical aches and pains may keep us awake, but worries never should.  We can sleep peacefully knowing that we are God's children forever through our faith in Christ.

Proverbs 3:1 says, My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:  Even in Proverbs, there is a call to have God's commandments written in our hearts.  Not forgetting God's law means more than inscribing His words in a stone.  I believe that we should be more concerned about living with God's commandments written in our hearts, or minds, than about having them written on a stone, or poster.  This is especially true if we are displaying them more to bring attention, or glory, to ourselves instead of God.  More than displaying God's law, we need to live it.  Verse two says, For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.  I don't believe that we can say that everyone who lives under God's leadership will live a long life on this earth, but I do believe that anyone who does will live a more peaceful life.  We also know that this is just the beginning of our everlasting life.  Once we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, we begin to live that everlasting life with Him, and this should bring us peace, no matter what happens in our life.  Verse three says, Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:  We should always keep God's laws where we can see them personally, and I believe that the best place for this is to have them hidden, or written, in our heart, or mind.  We should always have ready access to God's word if we are going to be guided by it.  Verse four states, So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.  If we follow God's guidance, if we do not find favor with other people around us, it should never be because of our attitude toward them.  We should always live in a way that honors God, but also in a way that shows love and compassion to those around us.  This world is not my land, or your land, but God's land.  Verse five declares, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Do we really trust in God with all our heart, or do we often waver in doubt?  Do we often believe that our understanding of the world is better than God's understanding?  If we make a statement that implies that God just doesn't understand our situation, then we are leaning on our own understanding.  Verse six states, In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.  We are instructed to acknowledge God in everything we do.  We cannot divide the world into the secular, or material, and the religious, or spiritual.  Everything we do should be guided by God if we are truly followers of Christ.  Verse seven says, Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.  There are people today who say they are just too intelligent to believe in God and His word.  They are wise in their own eyes.  We are called on to fear, or give priority to, God and to not follow the ways of evil.  Just because we as followers of Christ have all our sins for all time forgiven does not mean that we are free to live however we want.  God's guidance should still be our standard.  Verse eight states, It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.  I believe that this is basically saying that following God's guidance will give us strength when we are met with the trials and tribulations of life.  Verse nine states, Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:  We are to honor God with all we have.  We are to give God the first and best that we have, and not the leftovers if there are any.  I believe this applies to our time as well as our possessions.  God must come first if we truly honor Him.  Verse ten says, So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.  I don't believe that we should ever give to God expecting to be rewarded materially for doing so, but this verse tells us that when we put God first, He will bless us.  God will always supply our needs if we live according to His will, though we may not always be able to see it at the time.  Verse eleven declares, My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:  After telling us that we will be blessed if we honor God by the way we live, we are now told that God will chastise us when we do not obey His will.  We love the promise of the blessings, but we aren't so thrilled with the chastisement.  Solomon tells us to not despise the chastisment, then tells us why in the next verse.  Verse twelve states, For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.  If God never corrects us, then there may be something wrong with our relationship with God.  We are not told that God might correct us if we do something wrong, but that He will correct us, and that He will do this out of love for us.  Whether God is blessing us or correcting us, it will always be done out of His love for us based on our relationship to Him.  God can neither bless nor correct us if we do not acknowledge Him as our heavenly Father.

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.