Today Proverbs 11

Scripture selections are taken from the Rock Church Daily Bread Reading schedule for each month. “Lena’s Journalin’” are Lena’s comments on the specific passages from her Daily Journal.

If the e-mail text you receive is encrypted at all, just scroll down to the end of all of the text and click on Lena’s Journalin’ , which will take you directly to the web-page where you will be able to read the text quite clearly in it’s purposed form.

Proverbs 11:1-31
1The LORD hates cheating, but he delights in honesty.
2Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
3Good people are guided by their honesty; treacherous people are destroyed by their dishonesty.
4Riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right living is a safeguard against death.
5The godly are directed by their honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
6The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
7When the wicked die, their hopes all perish, for they rely on their own feeble strength.
8God rescues the godly from danger, but he lets the wicked fall into trouble.
9Evil words destroy one's friends; wise discernment rescues the godly.
10The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the godless die.
11Upright citizens bless a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.
12It is foolish to belittle a neighbor; a person with good sense remains silent.
13A gossip goes around revealing secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
14Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety.
15Guaranteeing a loan for a stranger is dangerous; it is better to refuse than to suffer later.
16Beautiful women obtain wealth, and violent men get rich.
17Your own soul is nourished when you are kind, but you destroy yourself when you are cruel.
18Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.
19Godly people find life; evil people find death.
20The LORD hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights in those who have integrity.
21You can be sure that evil people will be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.
22A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.
23The godly can look forward to happiness, while the wicked can expect only wrath.
24It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
25The generous prosper and are satisfied; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26People curse those who hold their grain for higher prices, but they bless the one who sells to them in their time of need.
27If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!
28Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
29Those who bring trouble on their families inherit only the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.
30The godly are like trees that bear life-giving fruit, and those who save lives are wise.
31If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, how much more true that the wicked and the sinner will get what they deserve!

Copyright Statement: Holy Bible, The New Living TranslationCopyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Journalin’ ~
Talk about deserving, fairness, justice, think about this:
Grace -we receive what we don't deserve.
Mercy - we don't receive what we deserve.
Justice - we receive what we deserve.
I recently heard someone say, “I don’t want mercy if it means I don’t get what I deserve, I in fact hope I do get what I deserve.” I quickly told them they don’t really want that, they must not understand the reality of the statement.
We deserve hell’s fire if we have even sinned one time and we all have sinned, so we all rightly deserve death’s penalty. Except for the sacrifice of Jesus, we would get what we deserve. I’m so thankful for Jesus’ blood and that through faith, trust and the covenantal exchange of my life lived for Him rather than lived for myself, I get what He deserves, which is life eternal.
Our own goodness will never ever save us. Never. It is so sad when God’s enemy leads people to believe if they are just good in life they will be ok later on after they die.
The judgment of eternal life or death in the hereafter is not based on goodness, it is based on right standing before God and that cannot be earned. We can never be good enough to deserve that. That is obtained by faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus is THE way THE truth and THE life, no man comes to the Father God except through Him. He is the only way to the Father. My own sweet goodness will not bring me to reconciliation with the Father. Ever. The interpretation of goodness has changed over the years, just go into a courtroom and you’ll see what once was unacceptable, or not so good, is now defined as ok, maybe even good.
God’s word of truth remains the same throughout all time. Jesus Christ is the way, truth, life and no one can come to God ever at all without believing, relying on, trusting in, and living for Jesus. He earned that for us through shedding his blood as a ransom for our sins. He died as me. I should die eternally, because my sin separated me from God, my Father’s goodness; and my goodness could not blot out the stain of my sin. I needed a Savior, to be perfect and take on my punishment, the one I deserved as a sinner separated from God and His will for me while I’m here on earth. I have a Savior, He died once for all, now I just have to decide to give my life daily for Him.
Vs 30 says
The Amplified Bible
The fruit of the [uncompromisingly] righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men--he gathers and receives them for eternity].
The Holy Bible, New International Version®
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language
A good life is a fruit--bearing tree; a violent life destroys souls.
The New King James Version
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.
GOD'S WORD
The fruit of a righteous person is a tree of life, and a winner of souls is wise.
New Life Bible
The fruit of those who are right with God is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
Who is righteous? That does not mean: who is good and does nice kind things and loves people and is so wonderfully giving. I said, who is righteous? That means who has right standing with the Father God? He who has been reconciled to God and can boldly come into the throne room and see their Daddy at any given time. He who has Divine direct access through the blood of Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10 says if we confess Jesus and believe God raised Him from death we will be saved (eternal death in hell- you know He also went there as us?). That word confess means, adheres to, sticks with it like glue sticks paper to paper or wood to wood, etc. He stays, forever with this faith in God through Jesus. That person will be saved when judgment day comes. He’ll be saved from eternal death, saved into eternal life, saved from eternal burning in hell.
So the fruit of ones who stick with this gospel life with daily living faith before God, these are like an eternal tree which produces eternal life and if these who are made right with God through Jesus win others to become eternal trees of right standing before God also, they are wise.
Wisdom is knowing and using what you know through practical application. There are many people who have knowledge of Jesus and of God and of His goodness and of eternal life, but they do not believe it enough to live it, enough to give up an old useless, eternally doomed life, and apply it by faith. That is knowledge and it gets us a puffed head at best. Wisdom is I know and I use what I know, I live what I know. I don’t play games with God and His word. I regard His words as life. I speak His words as life. I live His words as life. His words are important enough to me to live them, share them, believe them and do them.
When a person does not do God’s words they are deceived in thinking they can hear and learn and remain unchanged without judgment. Judgment will come to those who hear and do not do. God’s words are meant for doing and we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
So, he who wins souls, does the word of God, lives the word of God is the living word of God.
If we love God why would we not love people, who God loves? If we do not love people who God loves, we may not love God. Our love for God needs an increase of revelation.
Loving God makes us reconcilers, rescuers.
If you saw a person was condemned to burn in a horrible fire, one that will never be able to be put out, and the fire would burn them forever without consuming them, yet paining them greatly for eternity and you knew someone lied to them making them go into it, would you not do all that you could to save them, no matter how bad or mean they’ve been? Also you knew in saving them from the fire, they’d be able to be changed and healed from whatever has caused them to be mean and ornery?
If that does not pierce through your heart, you need to forgive people and God. If we do not forgive, we will also not be forgiven by God, and we’ve lost eternal benefits with Him.
It is such a serious time. It is time to change, become people with integrity, do what we say, be obedient to God’s word, forgive, live for, and with Him now. It is time to win the lost as never before.
Do you know when the end of your days here will be? Do you know when the end of someone else’s days here will be? The end of yours or their day will be the time when decision making ability is over with. No more chances to accept and live for Him. It will be life or death at that time. Time is running out. It is time to win the lost!
Get in a church that has a strategy in force, that assembles troops and forms nets to win the lost. If you are not in a church as an active member, repent today. Write me, I’ll help you get in one, seriously. It is a very serious time. Don’t live life for you. Don’t do things your way, give it up to God today! Seriously. It is past time, the clock is ticking on eternal death and eternal life, there’s no time to waste.

Daily Repetitive Verses:

Isaiah 58:12 – in multiple translations….
The Amplified Bible
And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of [buildings that have laid waste for] many generations; and you shall be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
The Holy Bible, New International Version®
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You'll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again.
The New King James Version
Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.
GOD'S WORD
Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the foundations of past generations. You will be called the Rebuilder of Broken Walls and the Restorer of Streets Where People Live.
New Life Bible
And your cities which were destroyed long ago will be built again. You will set up the stones of the bases of the old buildings. You will be called the one who builds again the broken walls, and who makes the streets on which people live like new.