LESSONS ABOUT WISDOM PROVERBS _KEITH SIMONS_ CHAPTER 12 V1 A person who loves knowledge will accept correction. Only a stupid person hates correction. V2 God is kind to a good man. God punishes a man who plots to do evil things. V3 An evil man never has security. A good man’s life makes him... [ Continue Reading ]
We can benefit when someone shows our mistakes to us. When we see our mistakes, we can learn to do better. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has something to learn. Many people fear correction. They do not want other people to know about their mistakes. They try to hide their errors. As Christians, we... [ Continue Reading ]
There is a real difference between good behaviour and evil behaviour. God cares about a good man. God is kind to that man. And God will help that man. If we make evil plans, then we refuse to obey God’s commands. God will punish the evil man.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is not about the strength of a man’s body. It is about our whole lives. The good man has a strong belief in God. The good man uses his knowledge to make decisions. His emotions do not control him. When troubles come, he is confident. This verse reminds us of Jesus’ story in Matthew 7:24-2... [ Continue Reading ]
A wife should be honest, fair and kind. If so, then her husband will be proud of her. She is valuable and precious to him, like a crown. He is glad that she is with him. A bad wife hurts her husband. If the wife is evil, then the husband will suffer. He will even feel weak. A husband and wife shou... [ Continue Reading ]
A good man does not plot evil plans. His plans respect God. The good man tries to help other people by his plans. For example, someone might open a shop that sells food. If the shopkeeper is a good person, then he wants to sell good food at a fair price. But an evil shopkeeper might want to sell po... [ Continue Reading ]
The evil man is like a hunter. His plans are like a hunter’s traps. The evil man wants to steal from other people. He even wants to kill them. A simple person is in danger. If someone does not know about a hunter’s trap, that person could fall into the trap. The good man is safe. He speaks the rig... [ Continue Reading ]
This reminds us of verse 3. An evil man is never strong. When the evil man is in trouble, he may lose everything. He will not ask God to help him. His life is in danger. A good man is never weak. Verse 7 speaks about his ‘house’. This word also means his family. A good man and his family are safe,... [ Continue Reading ]
Some people praise wealthy people, or famous people. Other people follow kings and rulers. As Christians, we should respect wise people. A wise person, who serves God, deserves honour. V9 One man may be unimportant, but he has a servant. Another man may be famous, but he has no food. The first man... [ Continue Reading ]
This is a puzzle. A famous person can be very poor. An unimportant person can be wealthy. Often, we do not understand why a person should be poor or wealthy. Some people pretend that they are wealthy. Or, perhaps, they pretend to be poor. We see these people, and we do not always understand their b... [ Continue Reading ]
A good man is never cruel. He is not cruel to people, and he is not cruel to animals. Every action of a good man is kind.... [ Continue Reading ]
A farmer deserves his harvest. He has worked hard. He has looked after his animals. He has ploughed his land and he has sowed his seeds. He has protected his crops from the weather. He has rescued the plants from animals and insects. His reward is the harvest. The person who merely imagines is lazy... [ Continue Reading ]
Different people have different ideas about work. Some people work with their hands. Managers use their intelligence as they work. An evil person thinks that he is working. He uses his hands to steal from other people. He uses his intelligence to make evil plans. He thinks that he deserves to be we... [ Continue Reading ]
An evil man’s words are like a hunter’s trap. He is like a stupid hunter who falls into his own trap.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse encourages us to think about our words. Verses 11-13 remind us that work is important. We receive wages for our efforts. It matters to God, whether our work is good or evil. But our words are also important. Our words can encourage people. They can show kindness. They can advise. They ca... [ Continue Reading ]
Some people always think that they are right. On a journey, they never ask for directions. When they are ill, they do not go to a doctor. Even if they do go to a doctor, they do not obey his advice. They are proud, and Solomon calls them ‘fools’. A wise man behaves differently. He is humble. He lis... [ Continue Reading ]
As Christians, we try not to insult other people. But sometimes other people will insult us. And we must learn how to behave in this situation. A fool is a person that hates wisdom. He wants to do evil things. A fool is proud, so he hates an insult. An insult upsets him, so he is angry. If we are... [ Continue Reading ]
If you want to know the truth, then ask an honest person. You cannot trust a person who lies.... [ Continue Reading ]
Words can hurt, and words can heal. An evil man’s words can cause much damage. He might upset or insult people. He might use words to make an evil plan. For example, an evil lawyer can use clever words to write an unfair contract. Words might not hurt in a physical way, but they can cause real trou... [ Continue Reading ]
The truth does not change. If something is true now, then it will always be true. This is like wisdom (Proverbs 8:22-31). This is also like Jesus, because Jesus never changes (Hebrews 13:8). Lies do change. When someone lies, he is always changing his story. ‘Many witnesses spoke lies against Jesus... [ Continue Reading ]
You cannot see a person’s heart or mind. However, you can understand their thoughts, if you look at their behaviour. Jesus explained this in Matthew 7:15-20.... [ Continue Reading ]
God protects good people. He does not protect evil people. See Psalms 91.... [ Continue Reading ]
Sometimes, we need to remember simple facts. Some wise words are complex, like a puzzle. Other wise words are very easy to understand. Even a little child can understand this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
A wise man is still wise, even if he does not speak. When Jesus was in court, he remained silent (Matthew 26:63). Isaiah wrote, ‘A sheep is silent before the farmer cuts its wool. So he (Jesus) remained silent.’ (Isaiah 53:7). Some people are always speaking. They want everyone to hear their ideas... [ Continue Reading ]
Employers watch their workers. The employer wants to know which workers are working hard. He also wants to know who is lazy. A good worker will receive more responsibility. A lazy worker might lose his job. In the end, the lazy worker could even become a slave.... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse expresses sympathy. A person who worries is sad. Life can be hard. People fear many things. As Christians, we should look after other people. We should speak words of kindness and sympathy. We should speak words that encourage. We should tell people to trust God. Then we shall bring joy... [ Continue Reading ]
Other people benefit when someone respects God. People can learn from us. Our lives can teach people about God. This is like a man who leads his friend on a journey. Life is like a journey. But an evil man is like a traveller who has no guide. This traveller must guide himself on his journey. He do... [ Continue Reading ]
The lazy man wasted his food. A wise person would cook his food and enjoy it. A lazy person wastes his life. He achieves nothing, because he refuses to work. A wise person achieves many things by his hard work.... [ Continue Reading ]
Life is like a journey. On our journey, we should follow good people. We should copy their behaviour. And we should learn to do the right things. Especially, we should follow Jesus (John 8:12). Then God will give a place in heaven to us. God has prepared a home for us in heaven (John 14:2-3).... [ Continue Reading ]