Devotions ~ Thursday 5/4

Proverbs 29:22-27
v22 The man who has a bad temper is always ready to start arguments. He will cause a lot of trouble.
v23 A proud man will become humble. But a humble man will receive honor.
v24 In court, even a thief’s friend becomes his enemy. The thief’s friend promises to God to tell the truth. Then the thief’s friend does not dare to say anything.
v25 If you are afraid of people, then this fear will cause troubles for you. But the person that trusts God is safe.
v26 Many people want judges to help them. But only God deals fairly with everyone.
v27 Good people hate evil people. Evil people hate good people.

Verse 22
Anger is dangerous. A bad temper causes many troubles. We should learn to stay calm.
Verse 23
The proud man wants to be a great man. But God will not allow such a man to become great. See Proverbs 16:18.
But God loves humble people. And God will give honor to them. See Luke 1:51-53.
Jesus was humble. Although Jesus is God, Jesus became a man. And he lived like a servant. He even died like a criminal. But God has given the greatest honor to Jesus. And everyone will know that Jesus is God. See Philippians 2:5-11.
Verse 24
The thief’s friend does not help the thief. When the thief is in court, the thief wants his friend to lie.
In court, the friend promises to God to tell the truth. The friend is not afraid of the court. But he is afraid of God. And this friend remembers that God will punish people who lie.
So, when the lawyers ask their questions, the thief’s friend says nothing.
Verse 25
People will cause many troubles. There are many cruel people. But do not be a coward! God will protect you. Trust in him. See Psalm 91.
Verse 26
Perhaps you trust judges. Perhaps you think that the court will help you. But there are some evil judges. And even good judges sometimes make wrong decisions. So trust God. He is fair with everyone.
Verse 27
Good people and evil people have nothing in common.
Do not suppose that evil people will support you. If you do the right things, then evil people will still hate you.
And do not support an evil man’s scheme. His scheme will be cruel. Or his scheme will be evil. Or his scheme might even be terrible. It will not be a good scheme, because the man himself is evil.
Instead, warn the evil man. He must confess his evil deeds to God. And he must invite God into his life.

Devotions ~ Wednesday 5/3

Proverbs 29:15-21
v15 A smack teaches wisdom. A mother must teach discipline to her child. Otherwise, the child’s behavior will cause shame to her.
v16 When wicked people succeed, there is more evil behavior. But, in time, this evil situation will end.
v17 Correct your son! Then he will bring relief to you. You will be glad, because of your son.
v18 People do evil things when they do not know God’s message. But God is pleased with the person who obeys God’s law.
v19 You cannot teach your servant with mere words. He can understand your words, but he will not obey you.
v20 Even a fool is better than a man who speaks without thought.
v21 If you give special luxuries to your servant, he will cause you trouble in the end.

Verse 15
See Proverbs 22:15. This mother is upset because her child is evil. She should punish her child. Then her child will learn good behavior. Otherwise, the child will continue to do evil things, even when the child becomes old.
Verse 16
Wicked people will not always succeed. In time, God will punish them. Then good people will rule the country.
We see that some people are very evil. Perhaps there always seems to be some evil rulers. But, in the end, God will punish evil people. Even the countries that we know in this world last only for a short time. But God’s rule in heaven never ends. So he is always king. (Daniel 4:3).
God rules from heaven. In heaven, nobody is evil. In heaven, nobody suffers. In heaven, there is no pain. See Revelation 21:4.
Verse 17
See verse 15. When your child learns to do the right things, you will be glad.
Verse 18
If someone does evil things, then tell God’s message to that person. Tell that person about Jesus. Tell that person about God’s love. And tell that person that he must invite God into his life.
Some people will obey your advice. They will invite God into their lives. They will learn to do the right things. And they will serve God, because they accepted God’s message.
Verse 19
Sometimes people cannot understand our words. They need to see our actions.
This servant might be a child. So the master must punish his servant as a child. The servant’s punishment should be fair. Then he will learn right behavior.
Verse 20
Think before you speak! Perhaps you need to obtain advice from wise people. Make a good decision! Then, when you speak, your words will be wise.
Verse 21
This servant might be a child. Be sensible when you give gifts to your children. Give gifts that will help them.
This verse is difficult to translate. Other possible meanings are:
· If you give your child only luxuries, he will become a servant. And he will suffer in the end.
· If you give honor to your servant boy, in the end he will become your son.