Proverbs 22

Seek Him and you will find Him. Knock and the door will be open. Ask for knowledge and He will give you the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and ears to hear Him. The only thing that pleases God is faith. In the measure that we believe Him we receive Him. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross broke the veil that separated man from God. We who believe in Him can go directly before the throne of God to ask for help, guidance and forgiveness. What a glorious God we serve!! God loves the common ordinary man, rich or poor, male or female, black, white or pink, He loves us all. We need to care for those that cannot care for themselves. It is not a choice, it is a mission. In the measure that we give we receive. This is true in most things whether it be love, forgiveness or monetary help to those who need it. If God loved people enough to give His life for them what more do we need as an incentive to be loving, caring individuals. If we are always judging others, we will be judged in the same manner. Compassion and empathy go a long way in pleasing Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Fear of the Lord is a wise thing. He loves us the way we are but He loves us to much to leave us the way we are. We will be changed, the easy way or the hard way, but we will be changed. Strife and contention are the little foxes that stop the unity of the Spirit. We must remember we are mere men….and prone to sin. Forgive freely or give it to God and let Him make a way where there seems to be no way. Grace, grace amazing grace!! Fear of failure and the unknown stops us from being successful. My daughter, Marla gave me a framed saying for Christmas many years ago with the quote "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" How sadly true. It still sits on my desk to remind me to always push forward and never give up! God makes His truth known to us so that we can answer others who come to us for help. Without God there is no wisdom or understanding. The Father gives to each of us a measure of talent. Our job is to find those areas of talent and to use them for His glory. We must be thankful for His gifts and work hard to perfect them.

Proverbs 22

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

Loving favor rather than silver and gold.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common,

The Lord is the maker of them all.

4 By humility and the fear of the Lord

Are riches and honor and life

8 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow, 

And the rod of his anger will fail.

9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed,

For he gives of his bread to the poor.

10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;

Yes, strife and reproach will cease.

12 The eyes of the Lord preserve knowledge,

But He overthrows the words of the faithless.

13 The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside!

I shall be slain in the streets!"

16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,

And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,

And apply your heart to my knowledge;

18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;

Let them all be fixed upon your lips,

19 So that your trust may be in the Lord;

I have instructed you today, even you.

20 Have I not written to you excellent things

Of counsels and knowledge,

21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,

That you may answer words of truth

To those who send to you?

22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,

Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;

23 For the Lord will plead their cause,

And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.

24 Make no friendship with an angry man,

And with a furious man do not go,

25 Lest you learn his ways

And set a snare for your soul.

29 Do you see a man who excels in his work?

He will stand before kings;

He will not stand before unknown men.

The NKJ study Bible puts it this way:

God makes both the rich and the poor. This means that those who favor the rich over the poor have not only missed the point of creation, they have insulted the Creator. There is no wisdom in being reckless. The route to the good life—riches and honor and life is humility (see Mic. 6:8) and the fear of God. A person who lives by violence is likely to die violently; a person who lives wickedly should not be surprised if he falls victim to crime. A good eye observes the needs of others first. A bad eye sees only its own self-interest. The eyes of human beings are simply not trustworthy. Ultimately, all human affairs are in God's hands, even though at times the wicked prosper. God made both the poor and the rich and He will justly determine their destinies . A person's trust must be in the Lord. Most violations of justice target poor and afflicted people because they are weak and defenseless. But anyone who does this makes an enemy of God, who will plead their cause. People must feel a certain sense of public trust and fairness for society to function.