Proverbs 11 "Tree of Life"

Today is very windy. Some of my recycling has blown all over my yard. I will have to go fetch some milk jugs when I am done writing. Wind is a very funny thing, on a hot day a cool breeze can be refreshing, it can also help with energy. Wind is powerful. Wind can be the most destructive thing on our planet. Tornadoes, hurricanes, high winds in their might and furry leave only destruction. But, just as quickly wind comes...it is gone. Proverbs 10 says

He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,

Having wind is really having nothing at all.

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Here is a verse I learned as a kid. And this is more of what I want to be. I want to be a tree of life. I want to bring nourishment to those around me. I want to be shade for those who need comfort. I want to be an oasis to those who are in need of Christ; so that through me souls might be saved.



Proverbs 11 is full of ways that we improve ourselves and to be an example. So that we can win souls for Christ.

Show humility, not pride vs. 1

Have integrity vs. 3

Be blameless vs. 5

Seek righteousness vs. 6

Be slow to speak, guard your words vs.12

Do not gossip vs 13

Be trustworthy vs 13

Be kind vs. 16 & 17

Do not let your heart become perverse vs. 20

Have discretion vs. 22

Be a giver vs.24 &25

Seek good vs. 27

Do not be greedy vs.28



Wow, if we can display these things in our lives what a representative for Christ we would be!

This list will be my prayer today...

Lord, I do not want to inherit the wind. I do not want to bring destruction upon my family. Help me to be like the tree of life. Help me, though my actions, win souls to you. Help me in every area in Proverbs 11, that you may delight in me.



When I delight you Father then I will truly...

GET JOY!

Check out my friends perspective on Chapter 11!

I took that picture on a field trip with my daughter last year. I love fall!

Proverbs 10 "Fortune Cookies"

I love going to get Chinese food. My favorite part is when you are done eating your favorite sweet and sour chicken, egg drop soup and crab rangoon it is finished with one of my favorite cookies. When I was little I loved to break into sweet morsel and find the little paper surprise that would inevitable say something like,

"What? I don't work!"I would think to myself at the ripe old age of nine. "Man, these things are not very good at fortune telling and what are these numbers for????"

As a little girl, half of the time I didn't understand what in the world they meant; but, I loved getting them anyway. In fact I still love pulling those little white slips of paper out of that yellow cookie.

Okay, so what does that have to do with Proverbs 10? Well, as I was reading it, it reminded me of those little fortune cookie sayings....except better. What a great object lesson for my kids. The Word of the Lord is food for our souls. And if your keep Gods commands, you can count on the future He has in store for you. I think I might print out Proverbs 10 on slips of paper, go make a batch of cookies, and feed them to my girls.

There is so much wisdom packed into one chapter, things I want my kids to learn. Things like...

The hope of the righteous will be gladness, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.

The fear of the Lord prolongs days, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

The blessings of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.

In multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.

The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

Here is the cookie saying for me today, it is the shortest one but packs a lot of punch...

Hatred stirs up strife, But Love covers all sin.

Oooooo so good, I think I will munch on that for awhile and with that I will...

GET JOY!

Check out my friend's perspective on Proverbs 10! Oh, and Jenilee, let's go get Chinese today! You and me, at Hunan's!

Fortune Cookie Recipe

Fortune Cookie Craft

Pre-made Fortune Cookie with Scriptures in them

Proverbs 9 "Dinner Bell is Ringing"

Which house will we enter is the decision we need to make here. I love how God uses a picture here of two houses. We have the house of wisdom and the house of folly. He shows us the result of entering each house and the promise we will receive. If we enter the house of wisdom then we will receive understanding and add days, years to our life. If we enter the house of folly than we will be lost and death will be our outcome.


Choosing Christ is a decision we need to make every day. Yes, sometimes it may be hard to choose the house of wisdom; but there is joy unspeakable there. We can not be tempted to even go have coffee in the other house; there are definite consequences if we do. The question today needs to be answered. Which house will you choose?

Folly is waiting for us at her home. She has stolen some good wine and some nice meat. She has a pretty good view of the city. Things look like they might be nice; but death is in her home. Sin is like that, looks good on the outside and maybe even fun for awhile. Soon enough it begins to rob you of everything and leaves you with nothing.




The Lord is call for us to come into his home. He has it all ready for us. He has His best linens out. The finest china is at each seat. He has made the best wine and prepared the finest cut of meat. He has all the servants ready to serve. Our name card is at neatly placed. All He is waiting for now is our presence. Let's partake of the Lord's wisdom; let it restore our souls, strengthen our bones and renew our minds.

I love that God does not drag us there, nor pull us kicking and screaming. He does not make us come at all. He has given us the gift of choice. He has allowed us to choose to love Him. He has allowed us to choose to come into His house and be with Him. Oh, how He longs for us all to come; because we are His creation; but love demanded is not love at all. God is so good to us. I think I will join Him in that cup of coffee (well maybe tea, I don't care for coffee).

Verse 10 & 11 is a great one:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

So, while you dine with Him today...


Get Joy!

Check out my friends perspective on Proverbs 9!

Proverbs 8 "Lord's Favor"

Today's will be short; because I am under the weather. Here is the verse from Proverbs that stood out to me...

Proverbs 8:35

However finds me finds life, and obtains the favor of the Lord.

Ooooo how I want the Lord's favor. How do I get His favor? Seek Him and keep His commandments. Lord, let that be my prayer, today. I desire your favor.


And with that, I will get some rest and...
GET JOY!

Check out my friend's perspective on, Proverbs 8!

Proverbs 7 "The Apple of Your Eye?"

The seductress is the topic of chapter 7 again. God is showing us once again to flee from this type of immorality. God wants' us to listen to Him; we need to guard our hearts in the little things of our life. We do not wake up one morning and say, "I think I might have an affair, today." An affair is a result of a few choices that start a long time before the sin is committed. I think we would all be surprised how simple they start...

Oh, I wish my spouse was as romantic as so and so.

If my spouse would meet my needs things would be better.

Longing for compliments of the opposite sex.

The grass is always greener thinking.



Selfishness is found at the root. We begin to realize that it starts in the heart and is a battle of the mind. Sin does not happen to us; it is something we allow to dwell on and then do. God's design is for one woman, one man to death do they part. He designed this; because He understands the hurt and pain that can come when we look outside of our commitments. He is watching out for our best interest. Why? Because, He loves us.

So, here is the sum up...

you + someone other than your spouse= Sin

you + spouse = God's Design...Priceless

Verse to meditate on today found in verse 2:

"Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye."

And with that...
Get Joy!

Check out my friend, Jen's perspective on Chapter 7!

Proverbs 6 "A Pure Heart!"

In my "Friends" class (Mpact Girls Ministries formally known as Missionettes) we have been talking about a "Purity". We have been talking about what it means to have a pure heart. I told my girls that it is more than keeping yourself pure for your husband, which is still a very important thing. It is about how we are in every aspect of our life.

In this passage of Proverbs God challenges in every area of our lives. In the first portion He challenges us to be a good steward and a hard worker. Laziness is not something God desires in us. I love how He uses the ant. He takes one of the world's smallest things that we usually step on to help us understand a spiritual truth. So next time we go to step on an ant lets ask ourselves if we are working as hard as he is! LOL

He then goes on and warns us about deceiving people and devising mischievous plans. Hey, God knows us inside and out. He knows the hearts and minds of man. He longs for us to show His love and kindness. This area is pure selfishness; and God sees right through our lying selves. I think sometimes we justify ourselves by saying, "Hey, I am not as bad as that other guy." But, God wants more from us. I think a great example is when we spin something in a away that makes us look far better than what really happened. How many times do we all fall to that example? A pure heart goes right to the root of us.

Then we hear the seven things God hates. When I was little, I would always think, "Watch out for these, God HATES these". Hate was a big word to me and I was never aloud to use it. Well, I did when I was really angry at my sister and my mom wasn't around. It was as bad as a swear word in my house. I do not think we understand the magnitude of how much God abhors these things...good grief, He used the word Hate.

1. Pride
2. Lying
3. Murder
4. "A heart that designs and a head that devises to do evil"
5. Bearing False Witness
6. Making mischief between relations & Neighbors (ooh I wish some people in churches would get a hold of that one.)

I think Matthew Henry's commentary sums this up nicely. "God hates sin; he hates every sin; he can never be reconciled to it; he hates nothing but sin. But there are some sins which he does in a special manner hate; and all those here mentioned are such as are injurious to our neighbor. It is an evidence of the good-will God bears to mankind that those sins are in a special manner provoking to him which are prejudicial to the comfort of human life and society."

Okay, this is getting to long. I probably lost half of my 4 readers already. So, I will finish up. Basically, we see here how God longs for us to be pure. We need to do so and that is why He asks us to bind them on our heart. He wants the best life for us. If we follow His directions we will live in peace with God and with men. He wants our homes to be safe, secure and free from doubt.

I think Proverbs 6: 2o-23 are good words to meditate on today.
My son, keep your father's commands, and do not forsake the law of your mother. Bind them continually upon your heart; Tie them around your neck.
When your roam, they will lead you;
When you sleep, they will keep you;
And when you awake, they will speak with you.
For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life.

Seek a PURE HEART and...
Get Joy!

Check out my friend Jen's perspective of Proverbs 6!

Proverbs 5 "No Silence"

Well, to be honest I was not excited to write about this proverb. I did was not thrilled to discuss adultery. At first, I was like…”This passage is not going to speak to me!” “I am not having this problem in my life.” As Christians, it is funny how often we may do that. Time and time again when I let God direct me, He shows me something I never thought of before.


Then God reminded me of something from yesterday…

Here we have Solomon instructing his son to keep away from this type of sin. In Proverbs 4 I wrote about as a mom I need to direct my own children towards the path of life. To teach them, I must not be afraid to talk about the tough topics such as adultery. Of course they are young right now and it would not be appropriate topic. When they are older I should instruct them not only about a Godly marriage; but also how to protect that marriage God put together.

How many marriages might be saved if our parents talked so freely about every aspect of it and how to guard that marriage. I grew up in a home where you did not talk about sex, details of marriage, problems that can happen in a marriage or how to deal with those issues. All I learned is from what I saw. From a child’s perspective things can be interpreted very differently then what things really are. All I could do was put bits and pieces together and my parents probably figured I would figure out all the rest.


It is like a light bulb moment now! God does not want us to remain silent about issues with our children. He is not silent with us. His Word is not afraid to deal with the tough topics or the ones we would rather not talk about. Here in Proverbs 5 we see an example of Solomon teaching his son to run from adultery.

In the Family Bible notes I read this and it is good. “When we are tempted to sinful indulgence, we should consider well its consequences. It is a sad exchange to give property, health, character, peace of conscience, the favor of God, and everlasting life, for a little momentary pleasure. How true this statement is and what a great truth we need to teach our children.

There is nothing hidden from God, nothing is kept secret. So, why should I ever be silent on any topic with my children? I leave with this verse from Proverbs 5


21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah; And he maketh level all his paths.


Get Joy!

Check out my friend Jenilee's perspective on Proverbs 5!

Proverbs 4 "Ponder the Path of Your Feet"

I am a very visual person. When I read things there is this movie going on inside my head. In this Proverb, I love the picture story that is going on here. The beginning shows us this picture of a child sitting on his fathers lap as he is giving him instruction regarding the Word of the Lord. I always love this vision of fathers teaching their children. I think it is somewhat lost in this generation.

Verse 5 is fun …(NKJV) GET WISDOM! GET UNDERSTANDING!

This got my attention today. In our young adult Sunday school class we have been talking about this very thing. We have been discussing that as Christians we need to know what we believe and why. It is so neat that our God is not afraid of us asking questions or seeking truth. In fact he implores us to. It is laziness that keeps us from wisdom.

2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(KJV)

Finally, we see this picture of the father leading his son to the right path. And as I write this I realize that as a mom I can lead my children to the right path; but I can not walk down it with them, hold their hand down it nor drag them down the stinkin path kicking and screaming. It is their choice to choose Christ.

I can tell them that the right path gives them hope, strength, peace and life. I can tell them that when they come upon the wrong path although it may look easier in the end it is full of sadness, loneliness and death. This is where our faith jumps in, as moms and we have to trust and know that God’s love for our children is so much bigger than our own. My favorite verse declares that...

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Oooo hoooo, so much good stuff, it just warms my soul. Thanks Jen, for the challenge that you have given me. I am lovin it. So, I want to sign off with my favorite portion that was in Proverbs 4, it was a tough decision. Here it is…

7 “Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”

We can have a lot of wisdom; but if we don’t understand that it needs to get into our hearts, then the wisdom is of no real value.

GET WISDOM, GET UNDERSTANDING,

Check out my friend Jenilee's perspective on Proverbs 4!

Proverb 3 "My Neighbor"

My dear friend has challenged me to read a proverb a day with her. So, here is the part of proverbs 3 that stuck out to me.

Proverbs 3

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.

28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you.

29 Do not devise evil against your neighbor, For he dwells by you for safety's sake.

Wow, I had to sit back and think about this one. Do I practice this verse with my neighbor? Sure we may say, yes that is easy to do with my sister or brother in the Lord. But, when that fellow Christian hurts you or does not do the same in return who is easier to practice this verse with? Sure it is easy to be kind to the unsaved; because we have an agenda that they would come to Christ. Sure it is easy to be kind to those Christians who are nice to you.

However, the verse is asking us to not withhold good when it is due. It is asking us to give when we have it. This verse is asking us to do good to our neighbor even when our hearts want the opposite. We are to do good to all, even if they never intend to give their life to Christ. We are to do good to our brothers and sisters in Christ even when they hurt us. Lord, help me to love ALL my neighbor as you would love them.

I will..
GET JOY!

Get Joy

I titled this blog "Get Joy", because it is theme that I try to live out in my life. I got it from a long time ago when I had an accountability partner and we would remind each other of this phrase when life seemed to bog us down. It has stuck over the years and always brings a smile to my heart.

So what does it mean to "Get Joy"? Well, to "Get Joy" means when we allow the joy of the Lord to consume our minds, our souls and our hearts. When we are walking in His joy, things of this world that discourage us suddenly are put back into the right perspective. When God is the source of our life, He brings us pure delight and He delights in us. He reminds us of how much He loves us and that He has everything in control. His joy becomes our strength.

I love these verses about Joy!

Psalm 16:11
"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

John 15:11
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, "Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

So with that...
GET JOY!