Proverbs 11

False balance is an abomination but a just weight is His delight (v.1)

Pride leads to dishonor (v.2)

Humble leads to wisdom (v.2)

. Being humble = being submissive to God

- Micah 6:8 says "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?"

The integrity of the upright will guide them(the person) (v.3)

The crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them (v.3)

Riches do not profit in the day of wrath (v.4)

- Ezekial 7:19 says "They will fling their silver into the streets and their gold will become an abhorrent thing; their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD. They cannot satisfy their appetite nor can they fill their stomachs, for their iniquity has become an occasion of stumbling."

- Zephaniah 1:8 says "Then it will come about on the day of the LORD'S sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king's sons and all who clothe themselves with foreign garments."

Righteousness delivers from death (v.4)

Righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way. (v.5)

The wicked will fall by his own wickedness (v.5)

Righteousness of the upright will deliver them (v.6)

Treacherous will be caught by their own greed (v.6)

When a wicked man dies.... (v.7)
- His expectation will perish (v.7)
- Hope of strong men perishes (v.7)
. Job 8:13-14 says "¹³"So are the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the godless will perish, ¹⁴Whose confidence is fragile, And whose trust a spider's web."

Righteous are delivered from trouble (v.8)

Wicked takes his place (v.8)

With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor (v.9)

Through knowledge the righteous will be delivered (v.9)

When it goes well with the righteous the city rejoices (v.10)

- Proverbs 28:12 says "When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, But when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

When the wicked perish there is joyful shouting (v.10)

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted (v.11)

By the mouth of the wicked it is torn down (v.11)

He who despises his neighbor lacks sense (v.12)

- Despise means belittle or shows contempt for

A man of understanding keeps silent (v.12)

He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets (v.13)

-Talebearer is a malicious slanderer, not merely one who is indiscreet

. Proverbs 16:28 says "A perverse man spreads strife, And a slanderer separates intimate friends"

. Proverbs 20:19 says "He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, Therefore do not associate with a gossip."

He who is trustworthy conceals a matter (v.13)

Where there is no guidance the people fall (v.14)

-Steering, wise direction on the course of life is guidance.

. Proverbs 15:22 says "Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed."

. Proverbs 20:18 says "Prepare plans by consultation, And make war by wise guidance."

. Proverbs 24:6 says "For by wise guidance you will wage war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory."

But in abundance of counselors there is victory! (v.14)

He who hates being a guarantor is secure (v.15)

- Stay out of debt! Those who get into it will suffer for it.

Gracious women attains honor (v.16)

Merciful man does himself good (v.17)

- Matthew 5:7 says "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

. The Lord calls the merciful blessed. They are blessed because they shall receive mercy.

Cruel man does himself harm (v.17)

He who sows righteousness gets a true reward (v.18)

- A true reward is an eternal reward, an enduring one.

. Hosea 10:12 says "Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

. Galatians 6:8-9 says "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹ Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

. James 3:18 says "And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

Steadfast in righteousness will attain to life (v.19)

-Proverbs 12:28 says "In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death."

-Proverbs 19:23 says "The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil."

He who pursues evil will bring about his own death (v.19)

- Romans 6:23 says "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

. Evil in Proverbs 11:19= Sin in Romans 6:23

-James 1:15 says "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."

. Sin leads to death

Lord detests men of perverse heart (v.20)

Lord delights in those whose ways are blameless (v.20)

The wicked will not go unpunished, the righteous will go free (v.21)

Women should show discretion (v.22)

Desire of the righteous ends only in good; Hope of the wicked ends only in wrath (v.23)

One man gives freely yet gains even more (v.24)

-I think some of the things would be just a good thing.

Generous man will be prosperous (v.25)

He who waters will himself be watered (v.25)

- I think this part of the verse could have to do with spiritual growth and helping each other as brothers and sisters in Christ grow in the faith. When we help someone grow than in the process of that we will be helped as well.

But blessing will be at the head of him who sells it(grain) (v.26)

-This reminds me of Joseph in Genesis 42. It's kind of interesting that it reminded me of it and when I looked at the references it mentioned that same exact chapter in the list. Joseph did not withhold grain from his brothers but sold it to them and the Lord blessed Him for it.

He who diligently seeks good, seeks favor (v.27)

He who seeks evil, evil will come to him (v.27)

-Psalm 7:15-16 says "He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, and has fallen into the hole which he made. ¹⁶His mischief will return upon his own head, and his violence will descend upon his own plate."

He who trusts in his riches will fall (v.28)

The righteous will flourish like a green leaf (v.28)

-I love the description of the righteous in this verse

.Psalm 1:1-3 says "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! ²But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. ³He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers."

.Jeremiah 17:7-8 says "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD.
⁸"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit."

He who troubles his own house will inherit wind (v.29)

The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life (v.30)

He who is wise wins souls (v.30)

Matthew 18:15 says "If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother."

.Not sure if this is what Proverbs is referring to or not but that is the only reference I could find in my Bible for it.

Last but not least I'm not sure as to what verse 31 means. Proverbs 11:31 says "If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, How much more the wicked and the sinner!"

If anyone can tell me what they think that verse means that would be wonderful.

That is what I learned from Proverbs 11.

Why? Oh Why? and Doubts

Why? Oh Why?

I lament
I cry
Woe is me
Why God? Why me?
I cry out in self pity
Why? Oh Why?
My thoughts and his lying words deceived me
Trials come my way
Still I try to understand
Why did the Lord make it happen this way?
Why a time and trials so rough?

So He can show me how I am weak
And need to have faith
And on Him I need to lean
For everything
And in Him alone put my trust

by Michelle Miano



Doubts?

When all these doubts plague me
And my worries overwhelm me
I cry out "Why me?"
Who can give me the strength I need?

Only Jesus, our Lord, our Savior, our mighty King
Who alone reigns with power and majesty.
Can give us the strength that we need.

by Michelle Miano


I decided to put these two poems up together in one post because they were similar and shorter than most of my other poems. I wrote these a couple months ago but didn't feel comfortable putting these up until today.. I'm not sure why today is different than any other day but maybe someone else is going through what I've been feeling and just needs to read/see/hear these poems to know that they are not alone in feeling this way. I hope it helps lift someones spirits.

Much love to my dear sisters and brothers in Christ.

Joyful Peace

Peace surpassing
All my understanding
Love never fading
So very comforting
To know that my Savior, He...
Yes He
Is always right beside me
Through life's greatest trials
And plagues of worry sweep through
He will always remain
He will always be true

His love so astounding
So utterly amazing
And I so undeserving

I can never thank Him enough
For His awesome sacrifice
and wonderful grace, mercy and love
The least I can do is give Him my all
Every second of my life
To thank Him for what He did to pay the price
For all the sins I had done wrong
and continue to do for so very long

And that when I would surrender all my life to Him
I would forever and ever be a daughter to Christ
And I would be His for Eternity
And knowing that is so wonderful to me
That it gives me such a joyful peace

So I need not fear when death draws near
For God knows the time, place, manner, and day.
I need not worry because I am saved.
If I have truly given my life to God
And if He alone drew me to repentance and faith.

All I then can say is
Lord Thank For Choosing Me On That Special Day!

by Michelle Miano

The beginnings of this poem were written as I was listening to a sermon given by Mike Livingston at my church on October 3rd. The passage of Scripture he discussed was Philippians 1:18-26. Through listening to his sermon and reading this passage I made the poem you just read.

Philippians 1:18-26 (New American Standard Bible)

18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
19for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
20according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
To Live Is Christ
21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith,
26so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.

The sermon was very encouraging to me. If you want to listen to it the link is here.

I hope it encourages you as much as it did to me. Love you my dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

Proverbs 10

These are my notes from Proverbs 10.

A wise son makes a father glad. One who fears the Lord is wise. A foolish son is a grief to his mother (v.1).

Ill gotten gains do not profit-foolish person. Righteousness delivers from death-wise son (v.2).

The Lord will not allow the righteous to hunger to the wise son. He will reject the craving of the wicked for the foolish son. (v.3)

Poor is he who works with negligent hands- foolish son. Hand of the diligent makes rich- wise son (v.4).

He who gathers in the summer is the wise son. He who sleeps in harvest is the son who acts shamefully and is the foolish son (v.5)

Blessings are on the righteous. The mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Violent plans and language come from the mouth of the wicked(v.6).

The memory of the righteous will/is blessed. The name of the wicked will rot (v.7).

The wise will receive commands but a babbling fool will be ruined (v.8).

When you walk in integrity, you will walk securely. He who perverts his way will be found out (v.9).

He who winks his eye causes trouble (v.10).

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life. I'm guessing this fountain of life is having something to do with with something spiritual/spiritual aspect in our walk with Christ (v.11).

Hatred stirs up strife. This is so very true. Love covers all transgressions. Hallelujah! (v.12).

Lips of the discerning, wisdom is found. Rod for the back of those who lack understanding (v.13).

Wise men store up knowledge. The mouth of the foolish-- ruin is at hand (v.14).

The rich man's wealth is his fortress. The ruin of the poor is their poverty (v.15).

My study Bible says "Wealth can sometimes protect from trouble while poverty is a liability that exposes one to misfortune." The wages of the righteousness is life. The income of the wicked is punishment. This reminds me of "For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life." (v.16).

He who heeds instructions is on the path of life. He who ignores reproof goes astray (v.17).

He who conceals hatred has lying lips and he who spreads slander is a fool (v.18).

When there is many words transgression is unavoidable. He who restrains his lips is wise (v.19).

The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver. Heart of the wicked is worth little (v.20).

Lips of the righteous feed many. Pastors are like this. Fools die for lack of understanding (v.21).

It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich. He adds no sorrow to it (v.22).

My study Bible says real prosperity is a divine blessing accompanied by neither anxiety or trouble. Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool. Wisdom is like sport to a man of understanding. Sport you have to practice it. You can't expect to be the best at it when you first start doing it. Sport could also mean fun which could be describing the fool. They don't care how it might be hurtful. They are having fun and finding enjoyment in it so they won't stop doing it. (v.23).

What the wicked fears will come upon him. The desires of the righteous will be granted (v.24).

When the storm/whirlwind passes the wicked will be no more. But the righteous will remain for they have an everlasting foundation which is Jesus Christ. Reminds me of "Firm Foundation" song (v.25).

The lazy person is like sour vinegar and smoke to the eyes- irritating to the one who sends them.(v.26).

The fear of the Lord prolongs life but the wicked life will be shortened (v.27).

Hope of the righteous=gladness. Expectation of the wicked perishes (v.28).

Way of the Lord is a stronghold to the upright but ruin to workers of iniquity (v.29).

Righteous will never be shaken. Wicked will not dwell in the land (v.30).

Wisdom flows from the mouth of the righteous. Perverted tongue will be cut out (v.31). The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable but the mouth of the wicked bring forth what is perverted. (v.32).

That is what I learned from reading Proverbs 10.

Proverbs 9

Here are my notes from reading Proverbs 9.

Wisdom is building a house and preparing (v.1-3).

She calls to those who are naive and lack understanding to come to her house (v.4-5).

Forsake folly and live and proceed in the way of understanding (v.6).

He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. Don't reprove a scoffer or he will hate you. A scoffer and/or a wicked person will not receive criticism. They will be angry and turn against the person who is trying to help them. Reprove a wise person on the other hand and that person will love you (v.7-8).

Give instruction to a wise person and they will become wiser. Teach a righteous person and he will listen and increase his learning. He will understand that he needs to learn more and that they do not know everything. They should listen and understand and know that there is always going to be someone smarter, wiser, more mature than them, and therefore have more experience in that are that is being taught to them. Therefore they should also show their teachers respect (v.9).

The theme of the Book of Proverbs is reiterated here. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (v.10).

By me your days will be multiplied and years of life will be added to you. This only happens if you are the wise person (v.11).

If you are wise, you are wise for yourself and if you scoff you alone will bear it. You can either choose to be wise and reap the benefits of doing so or you can scoff and incur the penalty (v.12).

Women of folly is described as:

Boisterous (v.13)

Naive (v.13)

Knows nothing (v.13)

She calls to those who are making their paths straight- those who are going straight on their ways, not staying off the path, those who are living in an upright manner, righteous person, wise and pleasing to God. (v.13)

Calling all those who are naive and lacking understanding to turn aside for a moment to her place. (v.16)

Stolen water is sweet and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. This reminds me of the saying "What somebody doesn't knows can't hurt them." Even though when it is found out as seen in the previous chapter there is nothing they can do about it, they cannot give it back. (v.17)

The naive will not know or realize that the dead are there and that the woman of folly's guests are in the depths of Sheol are there. He won't find out until it is too later and he has already been a participant in the act/crime. (v.18)

This act/crime can be anything, not just adultery.

This is what I got from reading Proverbs 9.

Peace and Hope

Peace and Hope
To be able to cope
When life throws you those curves
And you don't know where to turn.

O Lord, which way?
Should I choose to go
Or should I stay?

When you don't know what He's doing
Just remember that He's all knowing.

Live by faith and not by sight
Do not fret for you need not be dismayed.
For the Lord is with you
On this journey called life.

Yes every second of every day
He'll be with you forever and always

So trust Him and He will you give you the peace and hope
So that you will be able to cope.

by Michelle Miano

Ten Shekels and a Shirt- Paris Reidhead

In my last post I mentioned I had been on a Facebook fast. During that week I listened to a variety of different sermons. One of the sermons I listened to was Ten Shekels and a Shirt by Paris Reidhead. This was an amazing sermon. I had never heard it before. If you haven't listened to it I would recommend that you do.

Here are my notes from his sermon...

Judges 17-18:6 (New American Standard Bible)

Judges 17- Micah's Idolatry
1Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah.
2He said to his mother, "The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be my son by the LORD."
3He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, "I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the LORD for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you."
4So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.
5And the man Micah had a shrine and he made an ephod and household idols and consecrated one of his sons, that he might become his priest.
6In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes.
7Now there was a young man from Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was staying there.
8Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to stay wherever he might find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah.
9Micah said to him, "Where do you come from?" And he said to him, "I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to stay wherever I may find a place."
10Micah then said to him, "Dwell with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance." So the Levite went in.
11The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons.
12So Micah consecrated the Levite, and the young man became his priest and lived in the house of Micah.
13Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest."
Judges 18
Danites Seek Territory
1In those days there was no king of Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for themselves to live in, for until that day an inheritance had not been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel.
2So the sons of Dan sent from their family five men out of their whole number, valiant men from Zorah and Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it; and they said to them, "Go, search the land " And they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, and lodged there.
3When they were near the house of Micah, they recognized the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned aside there and said to him, "Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what do you have here?"
4He said to them, "Thus and so has Micah done to me, and he has hired me and I have become his priest."
5They said to him, "Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether our way on which we are going will be prosperous."
6The priest said to them, "Go in peace; your way in which you are going has the LORD'S approval."

Judges 18:14-21 (New American Standard Bible)

Danites Take Micah's Idols
14Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish said to their kinsmen, "Do you know that there are in these houses an ephod and household idols and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore, consider what you should do."
15They turned aside there and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, to the house of Micah, and asked him of his welfare.
16The six hundred men armed with their weapons of war, who were of the sons of Dan, stood by the entrance of the gate.
17Now the five men who went to spy out the land went up and entered there, and took the graven image and the ephod and household idols and the molten image, while the priest stood by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.
18When these went into Micah's house and took the graven image, the ephod and household idols and the molten image, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
19They said to him, "Be silent, put your hand over your mouth and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?"
20The priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod and household idols and the graven image and went among the people.
21Then they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the livestock and the valuables in front of them.

Every man back then did what was right in his own eyes.

Pragmatism- If it succeeds, it's good. If it's worth it, it's true.

What is the standard of success? Is God an end or is He a means?

Humanism- The end of all being is the happiness of man. "The reason of existence is man's happiness. No absolute standard." -John Dewey.

Liberalism- Put sugar in coffee to sweeten the journey for a short period of time. Happiness is a by-product not a prime product.

What is the philosophy of evangelism and Christianity?

Missionaries are sometimes motivated by humanism. He realized that the people he was trying to reach out to knew about God and didn't want to go to heaven. It wasn't that they had never heard. We don't want people to suffer--that's humanism. They loved their sin and that's why they deserve to go to Hell. God tells us that "He did not send us to go out there for their (the people who were lost) sake but for Christ's (my) sake."

The end of all being is the glory of God.

Why did we repent? Weep over yours sins not because of the danger of Hell but because you realize the enormity of your sins. Bad men deserve to receive the wrath of a Good God.

Did I repent just to go to Heaven? God deserves the obedience! Repent for the Glory of God! You are defrauding the God of the glory He could get out of your life.

Are we crucified with Christ?

I am crucified with Christ! Lord fill my life with your presence! Everything will be done by you and for you! God is not going to be a means to anyone's end! You can do nothing for yourself! It's not what you are going to get out of God! It's what God is going to get out of you!

May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering! That my friends is our entire life! Not bits and pieces but every aspect of our life!