Proverbs Chapter 19

1-14

"Better to be poor and honest than to be dishonest and a fool"
I thought it was interesting that he didn't say the dishonest fool would have wealth. He's basically saying it is better to be poor and honest, than to be poor and dishonest. Pretty easy, I'd say.

People ruin their lives with foolishness and then get angry at God? That's ridiculous. They're just using God as an excuse for messing up. That's wrong.

4:
"Wealth makes many "friends,
poverty drives them all away."
I think what Solomon means here is that earthly wealth brings people to you, but when they see your spiritual poverty they will leave you because of your foolishness. If wisdom is more precious than any gold, than if we lack it, we are poor, right? I think that's what he meant.

The relatives of the poor (Poor in Wisdom), despise them. Even the people who are their family who should feel obligated to love them despite their foolishness, hate them. If you're family sees your foolishness and hates you, then how much more will your friends hate you for it, who aren't as obliged to love you. Having Wisdom and being rich in faith brings you good company, and true friends who understand your wealth.

If you love yourself you should obtain wisdom. You will prosper and your life will be better! It's so simple, and so very much realized only once you have searched and find wisdom. It changes everything, absolutely everything!

11:
This verse is HUGE!
"Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs."
Next time you're about to argue about something, think about what it will accomplish. What will anyone gain from the fight? In most cases, nothing. If you're angry about something someone has said, simply hold it in and I know it's cheesey but the counting down thing helps, and your anger will subside, you will not have said something mean, and the people around you won't even know you were angry. It does feel like you missed a great opportunity to lash out, but it's better for everyone to control your anger. I'm not saying I'm always good at this, but I've done it, and it fixes alot.

15-29
"If you help the poor you are lending to God, and he will repay you!"
God has never had debt. he always gives back to you when you give to him! What a great God!

"...A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping."
I legit laughed at this. I guess a leaky faucet has been a strife forever!

20:
"Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life"
Learn. Not like Math, Science, learn. Learn wisdom at a young age, so that you can teach it to others your whole life. Learn discipline, discernment, discresion, joy, outreach, love, trust, and all of the life values now! Why not? Some people say that we will be the generation to lead. Why not lead now? We can make an impact on other people at our ages now! DO IT! LIVE BIG!

22:
"Loyalty makes a person attractive."
And not just loyalty. When you have the holy spirit inside you, you become more attractive to others, AND you become more attracted to others who also have the holy spirit. Honestly, ever since my walk with Christ grew to the level it's at now, I've looked at girls so differently. Because when I put God first in my life, the un-godly girls became unnattractive to me. Before I had God where he is, I didn't even know they were un-godly. When you have the holy spirit and her wisdom in you, you can see someone for who they really are, so you see the bad in someone, and you also start to notice the good you never saw!

"Lazy people take food in their hand, but don't even lift it to their mouth."
They have all the rescources to get something done, and leave them to rot! They are wasting their gifts. How can we motivate these people?

27:
"If you stop listening to instruction my child, you will turn your back on knowledge."
Sometimes it's hard to listen to what people have to tell you, especially if it's been a long day, or you're just tired. But even in the most annoying times, you have to hear the good in what people say to you, and keep an appreciation for advice, as it leads to wisdom.

I need to find a time to catch up my chapter I'm behind. But every time I go to do yesterday's chapter I only do that one, and not today's. Quick fix: Read the chapter and not spend 30 mins writing about it!
I can't believe how fast proverbs is flying through! I can't wait till we start another book!

-Evan