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PROVERBS 18

 

Solomon’s advice to his sons on Wisdom                      verse 1- 5

Through desire a man having separated himself

seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom                    verse 1

  WISDOM

A FOOL hath no delight in understanding

BUT that his heart may discover itself                       verse 2

             WICKED

When the WICKED comes

then comes contempt and with ignominy reproach    verse 3

            -WICKED

The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters

AND the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook   verse 4

             MOUTH & WISDOM

It is not good to accept the person of the WICKED

to overthrow the RIGHTEOUS in judgment              verse 5

 WICKED & RIGHTEOUS

SOLOMON REGARDING MOUTH OF FOOL          verse 6- 15

A FOOL’S lips enter into contention

            AND his mouth calls for strokes                                verse 6

                                     MOUTH & WICKED

A FOOL’S mouth is his destruction

            AND his lips are the snare of his soul                        verse 7

                                     MOUTH & WICKED

The words of a TALEBEARER are as wounds

            AND they go down into

the innermost parts of the belly                      verse 8

                                     MOUTH & WICKED

He also that is SLOTHFUL in his work is

brother to him that is a great waster                           verse 9

WORK ETHIC

The name of the LORD is a strong tower

            the RIGHTEOUS runs into it and is SAFE                   verse 10

                                    SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The rich man wealth is his strong city

            AND as an high wall in his own conceit                    verse 11

                                    WEALTH

Before destruction the heart of man is HAUGHTY

            AND before honor is HUMILITY                             verse 12

                                    WICKED & RIGHTEOUS

He that answers a matter before he hears it   

            it is folly and shame unto him                                     verse 13

                                    LISTENING SKILLS

The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity

            BUT a wounded spirit who can bear?                        verse 14

                                    HEART

The heart of the PRUDENT gets knowledge

            AND the ear of the WISE seeks knowledge              verse 15

                                    RIGHTEOUS & HEART

SOLOMON REGARDING

POWER OF TONGUE                                       verse 16- 21

A man’s gift makes room for him

            AND brings him before great men                             verse 16

                                    GIFTEDNESS

He that is first in his own cause seems just

            BUT his neighbor comes and searches him                verse 17

                                    WITNESS

The lot causes contentions to cease

            AND parts between the mighty                                  verse 18

                                    SETTLING ARGUMENTS

A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city

            AND contentions are like the bars of a castle             verse 19

                                    SEPARATING FRIENDS

A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth

            AND with the increase of his lips shall he be filled   verse 20          

                                    MOUTH & WISDOM

DEATH and LIFE are in the POWER of the TONGUE

            AND they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof         verse 21

                                    MOUTH

SOLOMON REGARDING RELATIONSHIPS          verse 22- 24

Whoso finds a WIFE finds a good thing

            AND obtains favor of the LORD                              verse 22

                                    MARRIAGE

The poor uses entreaties

            BUT the rich answers roughly                                    verse 23

                                     MOUTH

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly

            AND there is a friend that sticks closer

than a brother                                                  verse 24

                                    FRIENDS

COMMENTARY: PROVERBS 18 

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers 

: 1        Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks and intermeddles with all wisdom. (6504 “separated” [parad] means to diverge, to break off, to drive a wedge between solid friendships, or man who destroys other people’s friendships by creating discord.)

DEVOTION: Here we find that there are some people who are very selfish. These individuals avoid friendly relationships with others. They are so self-centered that makes them enemies of sound judgment.

This individual will not accept advice form any man and thinks that he is free to do as he pleases because all his decisions are always right and everyone who doesn’t agree with him is wrong.

Most of us have met individuals who act his way and realize that nothing we say or do can change their mind because they will not listen to anyone because they are perfect and everyone else is wrong.

This person seeks selfish gratifications and will not care who he hurts or how often he hurts others, as long as, they get their own way. Solomon is warning us of such individuals because it is not good to be around these individuals.

All of us need to realize that we are not always right but need instructions from others to help us act in a way that is pleasing to the LORD and to all those who are genuine believers in Jesus Christ.

The Pharisees had the attitude that they were always right and everyone who disagreed with them was wrong. This attitude is still present in some people who even attend good churches. It has to be dealt with in a way that helps these types of individuals to change their belief that they are always right and everyone else is wrong. He sets up his own opinion is better than anyone else.

CHALLENGE: The LORD wants us to be individuals who want to allow the Holy Spirit to lead them through their study of the Word of God and fellowship with genuine believers who want to please the LORD and listen to HIS instructions. 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 8        The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. (3859 “wounds” [laham] means to burn in, to rankle, to gulp, eating things that taste good, delicious morsels, bits greedily swallowed or swallow greedily.)

DEVOTION:  Some people just don’t know how to control their mouths. They seem to think that if they can spread some bad news about someone they have had a good day.

Here we have a backbiter. Here we have someone who enjoys hurting people. However, the word used in the King James Version seems to be at odds with what the Hebrew word means. The words of the talebearer are like delicious morsels or junk food. They taste good when we are eating them but they don’t help our health. In fact, they hurt our bodies.

Well, listening to gossip hurts our bodies too. Once we have listened to it, it goes into our innermost being. The Hebrew word can mean womb of a woman. We are giving birth to bad thoughts about the person that is being gossiped about. It is hard to get rid of those thoughts once they enter into our being.

The LORD wants us to not listen to gossips or backbiters. Once they started talking we should cut them off. We should also watch that we don’t become a talebearer or gossip. 

Our responsibility is to cover a multitude of sins by confronting the person in love in order to restore them to fellowship with the LORD if they are a believer. If they are not a believer our responsibility is to encourage them to become a follower of the LORD. Either way we need to not spread information regarding those we are helping. Their private information should remain private.

In our list of sinners do we have those who are gossips? Sometimes we think that it is not a harmful sin. There are many churches that have grapevines that spread the word for prayer and other things. However, there should never be gossip spread through a church grapevine. If that happens, the LORD will not bless the church. If it is presently happening the board of the church needs to put an end to it. There should even be church discipline for those who practice this sin.

If you know bad things about people DON’T SHARE THEM. Pray for the individual. Help the individual. Encourage the individual to stop whatever sin they are doing and grow in the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Evaluate what you have said about people this last week. How have you done regarding this issue?

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: 19      A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a                           castle. (6586 “offended” [pasha] means to be rebelled against, to be caused to feel resentment or                               indignation, discordant, revolted against, transgressed, to break away, apostatize, or quarrel)

DEVOTION: I was oldest of five brothers in the original family with two sisters. There were other children who came after a divorce of my parents. There were many times that my brothers were mad at me because I was left in charge of them when we were living together.

I have tried over the years to get along with my adult brothers but it is not always easy. They seem to carry some of their resentment into their adult life. So when we look at this verse we could be talking about physical brothers but we could also bring into the picture spiritual brothers in the LORD.

We are commanded to love one another as believers. We are to love those who are around us. We are to try to treat everyone as the LORD wants us to treat them. Even with all our effort there are some people who just will not be won over to being a friend or loved one.

In some cases it is like trying to do battle against a castle that doesn’t want to be conquered. Solomon knew all about having brothers who didn’t want to work with him. He saw this happening with his children as well. There seems to be times of contention that one or more of his sons didn’t want to get over.

We are to try to see if we can overcome any problems we might have with a fellow believer with the help of the LORD. Sometimes it will happen but other times it doesn’t seem that a fellow believer wants to be won over to having a working relationship with us.

Should we give up? The LORD seems to want us to go the extra mile to win a brother over. Are we willing to go the extra mile? With the help of the LORD we can. Much prayer is needed to accomplish what the LORD wants in our homes and in our churches.

CHALLENGE: Do we give up too soon on our efforts to win a brother over to a working relationship with us? Are we willing to ask the LORD to give us wisdom as we try to go the extra mile?

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 23      The poor uses entreaties; BUT the rich answers roughly. (8469  “entreaties” [tachanuwn] means                           supplication for favor, prayer, or plea for mercy.)

DEVOTION:  The differences between those who are rich and those who are poor are great. The rich can walk into a store and not look at prices and buy things. The poor are always looking for a discount. They usually will have to go to the Salvation Army stores or Goodwill to purchase their clothes or wait for a friend or relative to give hand me downs. Large families can fall into the same category. The same is true regarding where they eat. The rich can go to all the upscale restaurants while the poor will be in the fast food places.

Solomon also gives another distinction between the rich and the poor. The rich can be loud and rough in their language when dealing with people. They can force their way on people simply by raising their voice. The poor are apt to use a lower voice when talking with people. They want the people around them to treat them with favor while the rich just don’t seem to care.

In our churches we can find people who think that they own the church because of their giving. There gifts can sometimes have strings attached to them. They want to make the choices. They want people to vote their way. The poor are different. They can take the time to think through a matter and ask the LORD for assistance. They want to do what is right. There are some rich people who were poor to begin with and think these thoughts as well.

Our goal in our speech should be to treat everyone equally. Accept the advice of both rich and poor in a congregation. The LORD worked more with the poor than the rich. HE complimented the poor more than the rich. HE understood the thinking of those who had money and encouraged them to think differently.

How would we rate our own speech? Do we speak with a prayer for favor or do we demand our own way? Do we know the difference even in our prayer life? Do we come to God with demands rather than pleas for mercy?

CHALLENGE: When we address individuals, are we rough or gentle? Our goal is to be gentle with those we speak to on a regular basis. Continually ask yourself the question after a day of conversation – Was I gentle or demanding?

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)     verse 10, 22

Name of the LORD is a strong tower                     verse 10

Favor of the LORD                                                  verse 22 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)    

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

 

Man                                                                        verse 1, 4, 11, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24

                        Wounded spirit                                                    verse 14

                        Great men                                                            verse 16

                        Neighbor                                                             verse 17

                        Brother                                                                verse 19, 24

                        Wife                                                                     verse 22

                        Poor                                                                     verse 23

                        Rich                                                                      verse 23

                        Friends                                                                 verse 24 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Fool                                                                        verse 2, 6, 7

No delight in understanding                                verse 2

                        Wicked                                                                verse 3, 5

                        Contempt                                                            verse 3

                        Ignominy                                                             verse 3

                        Overthrow the righteous in judgment               verse 5

                        Contention                                                           verse 6

                        Lips of fool a snare                                              verse 7

                        Talebearer                                                            verse 8

                        Slothful                                                                verse 9

                        Great waster                                                        verse 9

                        Conceit                                                                verse 11

                        Haughty heart brings destruction                     verse 12

                        Folly to answer a matter before he hears          verse 13

                        Shame                                                                 verse 13

                        Contentions                                                        verse 18, 19 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Wisdom                                                                 verse 1, 4

Understanding                                                      verse 2

Righteous run to the LORD                                  verse 5, 10

Safety                                                                    verse 10

                        Humility bring honor                                         verse 12

                        Prudent get knowledge                                     verse 15                     

                        Wise seek knowledge                                         verse 15 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

      Solomon                                                               verse 1- 24

                  Lot causes contentions to cease

                  Brother offended is harder to win

                              than a strong city

                  Death and life are in the power

                              of the tongue 

                  Whoso finds a wife finds a good thing

                  Friend that sticks closer than a brother               

 Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events) 

      Death                                                                    verse 21 

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QUOTES regarding passage

Finally, v. 19 warns that controversies must be justly and equitably settled if the life of the community is to continue to function smoothly. The wise jurist will not leave a dispute unresolved, lest greater troubles follow. (Garrett, D. A. (1993). Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of songs (Vol. 14, p. 166). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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7321 פָּשַׁע (pā·šǎʿ): v.; ≡ Str 6586; TWOT 1846—1. LN 39.34–39.41 (qal) rebel, revolt, sin, transgress, i.e., be in open defiance of an authority or standard of an agreement (1Ki 8:50; 12:19; 2Ki 1:1; 3:5, 7; 8:20, 22; 2Ch 10:19; 21:8, 10; Ezr 10:13; Ps 37:38; 51:15[EB 13]; Pr 28:21; Isa 1:2, 28; 43:27; 46:8; 48:8; 53:12; 59:13; 66:24; Jer 2:8, 29; 3:13; 33:8; La 3:42; Eze 2:3; 18:31; 20:38; Da 8:23; Hos 7:13; 8:1; 14:10[EB 9]; Am 4:4; Zep 3:11+), note: when this rebellion is against God, it can be translated “sin” or “transgression”; 2. LN 88.167–88.170 (nif) revolted, offended, i.e., pertaining to being angry or indignant and so holding a grudge, as an extension of the meaning of being in open revolt to an authority (Pr 18:19+), see also domain LN 25 (Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)

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Ver. 19.—A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city. Something must be supplied on which the comparative notion min, “than,” depends. So we may understand “resists more,” or something similar. A brother or a once close friend, when injured or deceived, becomes a potent and irreconcilable enemy. The idea of the preceding verses is carried on, and the primary thought is still concerning lawsuits and matters brought before a judge. This is shown in the second clause by the use of the word “contentions” (midyanim). And their contentions are like the bars of a castle. They close the door against reconciliation, shut the heart against all feeling of tenderness. (Spence-Jones, H. D. M. (Ed.). (1909). Proverbs (p. 351). London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company)

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19  A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city:

And their contentions are like the bars of a castle.

No tangles are so hard to straighten out as those in which brethren are concerned who once were knit heart to heart in true affection. To win back a brother who has been offended is more difficult than to subdue a walled city. Each is likely to view all that the other does with suspicion and mistrust, once a lack of confidence possesses the soul. Entrenched behind the bars of wounded pride, and unwilling to view the matter in relation to God, it will be impossible for either party to be overcome by grace and lowliness.

How much easier is it to humble oneself at first than after months or years of strife! There are few quarrels that could not be settled in a very short time, were both parties ready to meet quietly before the Lord to look into their differences; but the opportune hour, passed by, may not recur for a long season. Remember, when tempted to perpetuate strife, the dishonor that must thereby accrue to the name of the Lord, and be warned by the unbrotherly example of contention between the men of Judah and of Israel, with its sad consequences (2 Sam. 19:41–43). ([1] Ironside, H. A. (1908). Notes on the Book of Proverbs (pp. 236–237). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Bros.)

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18:19. The reason for the caution urged in verses 17–18 is given here. When a brother (the word can mean either a friend or a blood relative) is offended in a dispute, it may be as difficult to restore his friendship as it would be to conquer a heavily fortified city. The estranged relationship is like … barred gates, hard to remove. (Buzzell, S. S. (1985). Proverbs. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 945). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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18:19 There are no feuds as difficult to resolve as those with relatives; no barriers are so hard to bring down. Hence, great care should be taken to avoid such conflicts. bars of a citadel. Cf. Jdg 16:3; 1Ki 4:13; Ne 3:3; Is 45:2. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Pr 18:19). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

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Ver. 19. A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city, &c.] A fortified city may sooner be taken by an enemy, than one brother offended can be reconciled to another; their resentments against each other are keener than against another person that has offended them; and their love being turned into hatred, it is more bitter; and it is more difficult to compose differences between brethren than between enemies; wherefore such should take care that they fall not out by the way: this is true of brethren in a natural sense; as the cases of Abel and Cain, Jacob and Esau, Joseph and his brethren, Amnon and Absalom, and others, shew; and of brethren in a spiritual sense, as Paul and Barnabas, Luther and Calvin, and others. And their contentions are like the bars of a castle; which cannot be easily broken or cut asunder: so contentions, especially those among brethren, are with great difficulty made to cease, and their differences composed; they will stand it out against one another as long as a strong city, or a barred castle, against an enemy. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 459). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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We also think of the long and tragic history of the church. It is sad enough when a local church splits over doctrinal deviations. It is a greater tragedy when Christian brethren squabble over trivialities. Too soon people take sides and bitter hostilities are generated—sometimes over the color of the carpet or whether one cup or individual cups should be used in communion services. Such contention is enough to make even the angels weep. Before the church began, the Lord set up the machinery for reconciling brethren (Matthew 18:15–22). We would do well to enthrone these rules in our hearts. If we neglect them we will experience the tragic truth of Solomon’s words. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Proverbs 1–19: An Expository Commentary (Vol. 1, Pr 18:17–19). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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The Declaration of Independence contains four references to God: as Lawmaker (“the laws of nature and nature’s God”); as Creator (“endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”); as Supreme Judge (“the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions”); and as Protector (“the protection of Divine Providence”). (p. 30, Rediscovering GOD in AMERICA by Newt Gingrich.)

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Testimony of Jacoby who had a accident on the uneven bars (WA): I remember thinking in this moment, “I am so weak…how can I live like this?” – Yet, it has been 6 years now & God has faithfully been teaching me how to “live like this” (praise Jesus I have improved a bit since then! 🙌🏼). It hasn’t been easy, it hasn’t been fun, and I haven’t mastered the art of living as a quadriplegic. I still ask “why” in the midst of blessings. I struggle to choose joy when self-pity creeps in. I have a love-hate relationship with my humanness. I worry about my future when God is ALWAYS saying, “I got you, girl.” Quite frankly, I drive myself crazy too many times. I want changes & I want all the answers from God, but…God is God; God knows what He’s about. 
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There is hope in the waiting. Will we choose faith or doubt? One choice brings peace and the other welcomes defeat. ~ Psalm 27:13-14: “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” ~ I trust the One who was, who is, and is to come. I’m not perfect, but God still considers me (& Y’ALL) as His breathtaking masterpiece. BELIEVE IT.
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The Disciplines of Life: When God wants to drill a man, • And thrill a man, • And skill a man • To play the noblest part; • When He yearns with all His heart • To create so great and bold a man • That all the world shall be amazed, • Watch His methods, watch His ways! • How He ruthlessly perfects • Whom He royally elects! • How He hammers him and hurts him, • And with mighty blows converts him • Into trial shapes of clay which • Only God understands; • While his tortured heart is crying • And he lifts beseeching hands! • How He bends but never breaks • When his good He undertakes; • How He uses whom He chooses, • And with every purpose fuses him; • By every act induces him • To try His splendor out — God knows what He’s about. • ~Unknown

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A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right, and evil doesn’t become good, just because it’s accepted by a majority. (Book T. Washington.)

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Dead Works

“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and a faith toward God.” (Hebrews 6:1
The phrase “dead works” can be found only twice in the New Testament. In the first (our text), it refers to the deeds of the unsaved sinner from which he must turn away in salvation, while in the second, later in the same epistle, it refers to unprofitable deeds accomplished by the believer, from which we must also turn away (Hebrews 9:14).
Dead works are certainly not good works, but neither are they necessarily evil works. Rather, they are ineffective, useless acts that count for nothing. They are as different from evil or good works as wildfruit is from good fruit or bad fruit. In this analogy, while bad fruit looks unappealing and would never pass for food, wild fruit may have the appearance of good fruit but lacks flavor and nutritional value and would provide no useful function even if it were eaten. In just the same way, dead works, which may be of some humanitarian value, lack life—not stemming from proper motives and not being propelled by love (1 Corinthians 13:1-3) and thus accomplish nothing of lasting value.
The non-Christian can pridefully indulge in such works, but this must be repented of at the point of salvation. Likewise, the Christian must replace his useless dead works with good works through the power of the Spirit of the living God. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14).
May we continually submit all our efforts to Him, recognizing that service to the living God does not entail our dead works. (JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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Paul uses the metaphors of a soldier, athlete, farmer, and worker to encourage Timothy. (2 Timothy 2)
INSIGHT

In our hard-driving society, gentleness is almost a lost commodity. Not only is it rarely honored, but it is also often thought of as being undesirable. Yet Paul instructs Timothy that the “servant of the Lord must . . . be gentle” (v. 24) and that our gentleness may help others repent from sin. Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek (the gentle)” (Matthew 5:5). Gentleness is not a word which suggests weakness or impotence. It is used of powerful war horses who have been skillfully trained to instantly obey their masters. It is a word which suggests power under complete control. It offers much.The Lord is gentle with us, and for this we praise Him and try to be gentle toward others:
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! (Psalm 32:11).Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.
Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings (Psalm 33:1-2).
Pause for praise and thanksgiving.
Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).
Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind, and pray this affirmation to the Lord:
He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-7)
As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:
greater passion for moral excellence,
Christian education institutions,
your activities for the day.
Finally, offer this prayer to the Lord:
Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
“Let God be magnified!”
But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay (Psalm 70:4-5).  (QuietWalk)

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