Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 31:8,9 - The Real Princess Diaries, Part 2

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:13

by David Chadwick "Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread." Proverbs 20:13 This is our final week of study through some of our favorite proverbs in the Bible. I pray that our time studying these verses has helped you gain practical wisdom for how to grow and thrive in every area of your life. Proverbs 20:13 says, "Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread." Before we unpack today's verse, let me start by saying clearly that our culture is suffering from sleep deprivation. More and more studies are suggesting that we all need at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep daily for good health and to be able to function at peak capacity. As we age, this number jumps to 8 to 9 hours of sleep. Our culture does not value wholeness, and it is becoming increasingly evident. Nervous system dysregulation is rampant. We are pushing ourselves to work, work, work, with little to no rest. It is healthy and necessary to make sure you get enough sleep! But this proverb is addressing the fact that the more you sleep, the less time you have to work; and this attitude of laziness leads to poverty. A love for sleep rooted in health and wholeness is wonderful. A love for sleep because of laziness is sinful. As I so often say, "The heart of the matter is a matter of the heart." As followers of Jesus, we need to open our eyes to see opportunities to work hard. They are all around us. Then we must commit ourselves to hard work. As we do, God will reward our work. We "will have plenty of bread," as stated in today's proverb. In fact, Paul said to the Thessalonian church, as they waited for Jesus's return and did not work, that if they didn't work, they wouldn't eat. Hunger is the best motivator for working hard to provide for human needs. Let me sum it up simply. Work is good. Laziness is bad. Don't lazily sleep your way to poverty! And hard work rightly done most often leads to blessings.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:12

David Chadwick "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." Proverbs 20:12 We will wrap up this week with Proverbs 20:12, which says, "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both." Let's unpack this truth together. Creation proves the existence of God. When you look at creation's design, there is no other option than to believe there must be a Creator. How can something come from nothing unless there is a Creator? How can order come from disorder unless there is a Creator? My dad used to say that to believe that this world was created without a Creator and through a big bang is like saying that an explosion in a printing press could create an unabridged dictionary. Isaiah 40:28 says, "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable." The Lord God is the Creator of EVERYTHING. He made it all. Our ears, eyes, nose, and everything else. And before sin entered in, God looked at everything he had made and called it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). More specifically, though, I think this proverb wants us to take it a step deeper. It's not just the ear; it's the hearing ear. Examine the intricacies of the ear. How we hear sound waves. How they go into our brain and are processed into thoughts and then into actions. All of this just happened? No! The ability to hear points even deeper to a perfect God who created the human ear. And it's not just an eye; it's a seeing eye! Look at the human eye. How we see. Light refractions that enter our retinas at immeasurable speeds to give us vision. And all this just happened? No! Many have come to faith by examining the intricacy of creation within the human body. To say this all just happened, without a designer, is incredulous. There is a God. He is real. He created everything. Both the hearing ear and the seeing eye scream aloud, "There is a God who made you!" And this God loves you very, very much!

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:11

by David Chadwick "Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright." Proverbs 20:11 All throughout Scripture, the importance of children and childlikeness is addressed. Psalm 127:3 says that children are a heritage from the Lord. In Luke 18:16-17, Jesus says to let the little children come to him and to not hinder them. He says that if we do not receive the kingdom of God like a child, we will not enter it. In Proverbs 20:11, God's Word says that "even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright." In other words, there are certain principles in God's economy that even a child can and should understand, one of which is how to have good conduct and act rightly. Jesus does tell us not to judge and disparage people in Matthew 7:1. It is sinful to think of people with disdain and to immediately write them off and send them to hell in our minds. Rather, we are called to love people. Yes, even our enemies. And to bless those who curse us. Yet, at the same time, we are called to rightly inspect and discern the fruit of people. To call things right versus wrong. To examine what they do in order to determine who they really are. In Matthew 7:15, Jesus specifically addressed why this practice is so important when it comes to false teachers. He said that some false prophets "come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." But this practice is not just to be used with false teachers; it's for all people. This is something parents should do as they observe potential peer influences on their kids. And they should teach their children to discern as well. It's something we should do as we choose our friends and close relationships. Our employees. A potential spouse. We all must become master observers of people's actions and conduct and rightly discern if it's pure and upright. Wisdom is known by its acts. By its behavior. By what it does. Both among children and adults. Look at what people do along with what they say. Actions always prove beliefs.

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:10

by David Chadwick "Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination of the Lord." Proverbs 20:10 We continue our study through some of our favorite proverbs. I believe that practical wisdom is grossly underrated and undervalued. My hope is that the time we are spending in this book gives you tools for the everyday moments that we encounter. Don't underestimate the importance of stewarding our time in this book, as lengthy as it may seem. The book of Proverbs offers so much practical wisdom for areas like parenting, marriage, relationships, employment, and, as you saw yesterday and will see again today, government. Proverbs 20:10 says, "Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination of the Lord." Here is another purpose of government: specifically to ensure that equal justice happens before the law. In order for justice to take place, weights and measures must be equal and fair for all. This verse condemns dishonesty and rebukes double standards of any kind. It confirms the fact that justice should be blind and impartial. Through the ages, people have made unequal weights and measures to make more money, for personal gain, and to advance their selfish agendas. So often, the rich and powerful ones, with evil in their hearts, are the ones overseeing these weights and measures. Therefore, injustice occurs, and the rich become richer while the poor become poorer. According to today's verse, this type of inequality is an abomination of the Lord. Do you know what the word "abomination" means? It is something that is "intensely detested and loathed." Dear friends, this should break our hearts. If something is detested by the Lord, we should hate it too. Here is the bottom line: God hates the mistreatment of his children. He knows that no society can exist, much less prosper, unless there is justice running through its laws. Jesus loves justice. We, as his people, should as well. And we should desire having a government that loves justice too. Psalm 11:7 says, "For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face." When it comes to unequal weights and unequal measures, this should be our prayer. "Arise, Lord, in your anger; rise up against the rage of my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice" (Psalm 7:6).

Our Favorite Proverbs: Proverbs 20:9

by David Chadwick "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" Proverbs 20:9 A pure heart. Clean hands. A renewed and righteous spirit. These were the cries of King David's heart in Psalm 51:10. Solomon had a similar anguish in Proverbs 20:9 when he said, "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from sin'?" He knew the value and importance of holiness. But he also knew that apart from God's grace we are inherently filthy. Remember, this is written in the Old Testament. The Messiah had not yet arrived. Solomon and his people were living with an awareness of a holy God but great anticipation for salvation that had not yet come. So they had a deep awareness that the atonement for their sins could only come through the shedding of blood through animal sacrifice. Solomon knew the answer to his own question. No one! No one can say, "I have made my heart pure. No one can say, "I am clean from sin." This proverb paves the way for a Gospel proclamation. This is the simple Gospel. Let's remind ourselves of it today. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." All means all! Or as the psalmist in Psalm 14:1 said, no one is righteous, not even one. The wages of sin is death. We cannot, by our human efforts, be forgiven. There is no way out apart from the free gift of salvation through Jesus (Romans 6:23). These are all clear statements in God's Word. Our hearts can only become pure, and we can only become clean through the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus was beaten, bloodied, and tortured. He was persecuted and killed as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He took all of our unrighteousness upon himself. The One who was perfectly righteous in every possible way and knew no sin became sin so that in him we might become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). THIS is the great exchange. Jesus took our sin. We receive his righteousness. We are now forgiven and made pure and clean by the grace and mercy of Jesus. Salvation is a gift from God by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). What a deal! Who wouldn't receive this? For this forgiveness is what gives us the entrance into heaven and a reason to live on this side of eternity. But first we must realize that we are sinners, like Solomon, and need a Savior.