Author: PGC Administrator

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Proverbs+021

 

Proverbs 21 (ESV)

¹ The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
² Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
³ To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice…

³⁰No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
can avail against the Lord.
³¹ The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but the victory belongs to the Lord.

 

REFLECTION:

These verses emphasize the absolute sovereignty of God in our lives. In the time of King Solomon, the king had absolute authority and was even regarded as a god. But these verses point out that only God has the ultimate authority to govern everything. No matter how powerful the kings in the world are, their power is bestowed by God, and their minds are all under the control of God. People in the world often like to be in charge of everything, forget God’s sovereignty, and will be self-righteous and make excuses for what they do, but God can see through people’s motives through their excuses. When it is difficult to discern whether what we are doing is correct, we need to be cautious. We must first seek God’s will, then examine our motives, and finally make a decision. God is pleased that we listen to His Words, but He is more pleased that we follow His Words and exercise justice and fairness in the world. And we should remember that without God’s permission, no matter how smart and wise we are, no matter how much we prepare, it will be futile. Of course, with God’s help, we must also do our part. It is God’s responsibility to accomplish things, but this does not relieve us of our responsibilities. If you can do your part, God will be able to use you to accomplish His will.

 

PRAYER:

Come to God humbly, recognize God’s absolute sovereignty in your life, and offer your praise, worship, and gratitude to God. Ask God to remove your self-righteous rebellion and pride and give you wisdom to seek God’s will in everything you do. Ask God to give you the ability to work hard in everything you do, not to deviate from God’s guidance, and to fulfill your duty.

 

HYMN:

Center – www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V-QV4DOjMA

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Proverbs+020

 

Proverbs 20 (ESV)

⁶ Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love,
but a faithful man who can find?
⁷ The righteous who walks in his integrity—
blessed are his children after him!
⁸ A king who sits on the throne of judgment
winnows all evil with his eyes.
⁹ Who can say, “I have made my heart pure;
I am clean from my sin”?
¹⁰ Unequal weights and unequal measures
are both alike an abomination to the Lord.
¹¹ Even a child makes himself known by his acts,
by whether his conduct is pure and upright…

¹⁷ Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man,
but afterward his mouth will be full of gravel…

²³ Unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord,
and false scales are not good.

 

REFLECTION:

No one is completely innocent. Soon after every confession and repentance, sinful thoughts and actions will begin to quietly rise in our lives, so that we need God’s cleansing all the time. Thank God, when we pray, He grants forgiveness of sins. When you talk to God, you must always confess your sins and repent, and always rely on Him to cleanse you. “Unequal weights” and “unequal measures” refer to merchants using different scales to deceive customers. Do I have “unequal weights” for people? It is difficult for people to avoid the sin of dishonesty in everything. We think that no one will discover the most secret activities in our hearts. In fact, all our thoughts and actions are under the examination of God. We should fully understand the dangers of dishonesty. Fraud affects the deepest part of the soul and makes people unreliable and untrustworthy. In the end, he contradicted himself, split his personality, and couldn’t get along with others in peace. Don’t underestimate dishonesty in trivial matters, because just a little bit of dishonesty can poison your spiritual life. If there is any dishonesty in your life, you must come to God immediately and ask for forgiveness.

 
PRAYER:

Ask God to bless you so that you can be a faithful, kind, and righteous person throughout your life. Ask God to give you a strong and prudent heart, and to maintain integrity and honesty no matter how big or small things are. Ask God to purify you always so that your life will be sincere and pure like a child, and please God.

 

HYMN:

Purify My Heart – www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkqJHUJlKVM

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Proverbs+019

 

Proverbs 19 (ESV)

¹³ A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
¹⁴ House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord…

¹⁸ Discipline your son, for there is hope;
do not set your heart on putting him to death…

²⁶ He who does violence to his father and chases away his mother
is a son who brings shame and reproach.

 

REFLECTION:

These verses especially remind us how to seek God’s wisdom in the closest parent-child and husband-wife relationship. As children, we must first respect our parents and obey our parents’ teaching in everything. This is also a commandment given to us by God. Parents should also discipline and love their children in accordance with God’s will, and should not annoy or discourage their children. Wives must obey their husbands and be a virtuous woman pleasing to God, and don’t always nag and quarrel like continuous rain; husbands must love their wives, not mistreat their wives, and be willing to sacrifice their life for their wives. Reflect whether you are pleasing to God in both parent-child and husband-wife relationships.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to guide you to be wise to deal with all kinds of conflicts in parent-child and husband-wife relationships, and be a person who makes peace and blesses the whole family. If you have a damaged or even broken family relationship, ask God to have mercy and give you wisdom, love, and courage. Take the initiative to repair damaged relationships.

 

HYMN:

Still, My Soul Be Still – www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9t5_ZNmaw

 

Read chapter in full: biblegateway.com/passage/?version=ESV&search=Proverbs+018

 

Proverbs 18 (ESV)

⁴ The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook…

⁶ A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating…

¹³ If one gives an answer before he hears,
it is his folly and shame.
¹⁴ A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?
¹⁵ An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
¹⁶ A man’s gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.

¹⁷ The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him…

²⁰ From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach is satisfied;
he is satisfied by the yield of his lips.
²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.

 

REFLECTION:

These verses remind us that it is difficult to manage our ears and tongue, and we need the wisdom and self-control given by God. Not listening to people’s gossip is sometimes as difficult as not eating food. No matter which one you have tasted, it will make you want to try again. If you are determined not to listen to people’s gossip, you should listen to God’s words more and act according to them, and be self-disciplined like a dieter. If you don’t listen to people’s gossip at first, there will be no second or third time. As James 3 warns us, the tongue is fire. In our bodies, the tongue is a sinful world. It can defile the whole body and light the wheel of life, and it is kindled from hell. While not listening to people’s gossip, we should also subdue our tongues, not expose people’s shortcomings, and not speak slanderous words. Reflect if you are a person who loves to listen to gossip or to spread gossip—or both. Ask God to have mercy so that you can listen to God’s words more and speak more words that glorify God.

 

PRAYER:

Pray for God to give you wisdom, manage your ears well, and not listen to the slanderous words behind people, nor the short and long gossips; and pray for God to give you the strength of gentleness and restraint to subdue your tongue, no fiddling nor judging but be a wise person who listens more and complains less.

 

HYMN:

The Power of The Cross – www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS7fc7VTJZs