Verse 1 is talking about having peace in a home. Create your home to be full of joy, laughter, peace, forgiveness and a place to rest. Your home should be welcoming and loving, not a battle ground.
"A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue." (V4) This is talking about who you take your advice from and who you spend your time with. It is easy for your understanding and judgement to become distorted when you spend too much time with people like this. I think this happens because we WANT to believe them and WANT to believe what they are saying is true, we believe IN them.
Verse 11 talks about rebellion.
REBELLION: The act or process of resisting authority, control or convention.
When you rebel against God, you are rejecting God's word. When a person rebels against their family, they often end up alone. When people rebel against the law, they often end up in jail. Rebellion causes destruction... on the inside (because what we do affects our hearts) and on the outside.
"Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out." (V 14) Saying one or two things out of anger can have a huge impact on those you are talking to and also in our own hearts. Do not give bitterness any room to grow. Nourish yourself with the fruits of the spirit daily.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (V17)
When trouble arise, who is by your side? Do you have friends who have become more silent and distant throughout a rough patch in your life? Do you have friends who have been a constant in the good times and the bad? Are YOU reaching out to your friends when life gets hard for you AND them? Trials should make us love moe. When a sibling is hurt or going through something hard, it makes us love them more, we want to protect them and be there for them. It should be the same with friends.
Verse 20 says, "A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble."
What's in your heart will eventually be seen on the outside by those around you. But nothing is hidden from God. An sinful heart brings out ugly words and thoughts. Curse words, dirty jokes, gossip, slander etc. They are not of God. This is someone whose heart is not right with God. God will not let those things into his kingdom.
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (V27)
Know what you are saying, don't just speak without thinking.
Bethany Joy
"A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar pays attention to a malicious tongue." (V4) This is talking about who you take your advice from and who you spend your time with. It is easy for your understanding and judgement to become distorted when you spend too much time with people like this. I think this happens because we WANT to believe them and WANT to believe what they are saying is true, we believe IN them.
Verse 11 talks about rebellion.
REBELLION: The act or process of resisting authority, control or convention.
When you rebel against God, you are rejecting God's word. When a person rebels against their family, they often end up alone. When people rebel against the law, they often end up in jail. Rebellion causes destruction... on the inside (because what we do affects our hearts) and on the outside.
"Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out." (V 14) Saying one or two things out of anger can have a huge impact on those you are talking to and also in our own hearts. Do not give bitterness any room to grow. Nourish yourself with the fruits of the spirit daily.
"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity." (V17)
When trouble arise, who is by your side? Do you have friends who have become more silent and distant throughout a rough patch in your life? Do you have friends who have been a constant in the good times and the bad? Are YOU reaching out to your friends when life gets hard for you AND them? Trials should make us love moe. When a sibling is hurt or going through something hard, it makes us love them more, we want to protect them and be there for them. It should be the same with friends.
Verse 20 says, "A man of perverse heart does not prosper; he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble."
What's in your heart will eventually be seen on the outside by those around you. But nothing is hidden from God. An sinful heart brings out ugly words and thoughts. Curse words, dirty jokes, gossip, slander etc. They are not of God. This is someone whose heart is not right with God. God will not let those things into his kingdom.
"A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered." (V27)
Know what you are saying, don't just speak without thinking.
Bethany Joy