18 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death19 is the man who deceives his neighbor    and says, “I am only joking!” Mean words sting just like firebrands, arrows, darts (and even spitballs.)People like to try to cover over mean words by saying they are joking, but in the end jokes can hurt, too.We need to pray that God would help us to have fun without saying hurtful things about ano...  Read More

20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,    but the companion of fools will suffer harm. Just like paperclips can be magnetized by being near a magnet, being with the wise rubs off on us.Hanging out with those who are foolish can lead us into harm.If we want our hearts to be wise, not only to we need to hang out with those who show and live out wisdom, but we need to daily go to the Lord and a...  Read More

17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,    but a false witness utters deceit. Sometimes we think telling lies is easier than telling the truth.We must trust God that, no matter how strange the truth might sound, that He will show our words to be honest evidence and not total lies. Dear Heavenly Father,Help us to speak truth because you are true.Even when the truth seems to be unbelievab...  Read More

16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord    than great treasure and trouble with it. It's not about what we have, it's about how much of our heart the Lord has.Whether we have little or plenty, we can thank the Lord for it all.If we have plenty, let's be careful not to crowd out the Lord, because He is the one who give us every good and perfect gift.Ultimately He is the most important thing...  Read More

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,    but with the humble is wisdom. Pride can cause us to make big statements about ourselves that ultimately lead to disgrace when we can't live up to our big talk, yet humility allows us to see ourselves the right way.Joy showed humility by being willing to be in the show, or just serve tables. Her humility brought her wisdom to handle the situation.Jesus h...  Read More

19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,    but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. Sometimes our mouths get way ahead of us.We don't always guard our lips, especially when we let our emotions get to us.Often times it is wise to just not speak until we've prayed and asked Jesus to guard our words. Dear Heavenly Father,Help us to be careful about the words we say.Don't let our mouth...  Read More

12 Hatred stirs up strife,    but love covers all offenses. When we are upset with each other, we stir up strife and argue angrily with each other.When we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us the love of Jesus, we are more willing to cover over or overlook the offenses of others. Like broccoli covered with cheese, it makes their offenses a little easier to swallow. Dear Heavenly Father,We thank you t...  Read More

2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,    but the Lord weighs the heart. Often times there is a way that seems right in our own heart, but it is the wrong way.Our judgment can be way off. Our judgment of our own actions and, like the townspeople, our judgment of other.We need to ask Jesus to give us wisdom to make a right judgment and in some cases, many cases, let God do the judging, beca...  Read More

27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,    when it is in your power to do it. If we are able to help someone and we see their need, we should help them.We don't always see their needs, or we don't always want to help.We need to ask the Lord to help us to see needs we can help with and then, give us a heart that wants to help. Dear Heavenly Father,When it is in our power to help someo...  Read More

29 The glory of young men is their strength,    but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. Sometimes we trust a little too much in our own strength.Just because someone doesn't look strong, doesn't mean they don't have a hidden strength of their own.Jesus makes us strong, especially in wisdom.Ultimately His wisdom wins out over mere strength.Gave gave us older people in our lives to share the...  Read More

26 A wise king winnows the wicked    and drives the wheel over them. God gave us authorities like Kings, Judges, and Police to use their skills to find those who commit crimes and do evil.We need to leave the judgment in the hands of those God gave it to instead of trying to blame others when we don't have the facts or skills or the wisdom to place the blame on anyone. Dear Heavenly Father,Help us...  Read More

10 Unequal weights and unequal measures    are both alike an abomination to the Lord. God can't stand any kind of measure that tells lies.Because we have selfish and self-centered hearts, we tend to measure our own heart and say we are doing fine; and we tend to measure others and tell them they aren't.Sometimes people can puff themselves up like plumpkins and think that they are doing just fine, ...  Read More