Proverbs 21-Right vs. Wrong

Okay, so this is my first post, so I'll try my best. (:

Evi~I read your last blog about Proverbs 20, and I totally agree about everything you said. Like how we have to walk the walk and how our actions and our behaviors are SO much more important than our words. Thanks for that!

So about Proverbs 21...

Proverbs 21:2
"All the ways of a man may be right in his own eyes, but it is the Lord who proves hearts." To me, this verse says that in our own eyes we may think that we are doing the right thing and making the right choices, but God is the ultimate decider of that. He is the ultimate judge of right and wrong. We must always live according to His will, not ours, no matter what, and only then will we be making the right choices.

Proverbs 21:8
"The way of the culprit is crooked, but the conduct of the innocent is right." This verse just really sticks out to me...I just love the way the Bible says certain things like this. Instead of simply stating, "it is bad to make bad choices and it is good to make good choices," the authors of the Bible have made it SO interesting to read! Gotta love it! (: And yet the message is so clear and understandable, but it's just stated in such a cool way!

Proverbs 21:12
"The just man appraises the house of the wicked: there is one who brings down the wicked to ruin." Ahhh I love this verse. So basically it's saying that the just man will observe the ways of the wicked and asses the value of the wicked, but ultimately the just man will ALWAYS overcome the wicked man (in the end). At least that's the way I see it! "...with God anything is possible." (Matthew 19:26-my favorite verse) With Him and only Him are we able to overcome the "wicked" and all things evil...we will never be able to do it alone. He must always be a part of our lives. And it seems as if God likes to reward us when we make good decisions in life and when we try to grow closer and closer to Him. This verse is so powerful to me because it gives me the hope that good will overcome evil at the end of time. Just knowing that gives me the strength and courage to keep fighting for my beliefs and doing what I know is right-even if it may not be what everyone else is doing.

Okay, I feel like I can say something about every single one of these verses! I wish I had started blogging earlier...this is so interesting! haha.

Proverbs 21: 13
"He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard." This is another one of my new favorites! This verse reminds me of Matthew 7:12 (the Golden Rule). How can we expect people to help us when we are in need if we do not help them when they are in need? Treat others how YOU would want to be treated. It seems like that verse has really had an influence on my life lately. Something I've been working on. I've heard about the Golden Rule and have been told to follow it ever since I was little, but it seems like the message is just now (finally) sinking it. It seems so easy to follow this rule, yet it is SO hard when you actually try to apply it to your life. For example,-girls especially who are reading this-(I guess boys too, but not as much)-the next time you are with your friends and they are gossiping about another girl...stop and THINK...how would I feel if I found out that someone was talking bad about me and gossiping about me? Because trust me, I've had my fair share of girls gossiping about me in high school, and it's not pretty. Why would I ever want to put another girl through that same pain that I went through? I hope this isn't sounding too cheesy, and I really do hope y'all will apply this message to your lives!

Proverbs 21:20
"Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise, but the fool consumes it." For some reason, I see "precious treasure" as being temptation in life. You may see it differently, but just look at the way I see it...There are SO many temptations and things we think we absolutely need in our everyday lives. Those temptations and needs are just sitting there, right in front of us, all the time. Evil things just waiting to cause our relationship with Christ to come to a standstill. But good people in this world-people that follow Christ-don't allow these temptations, these seemingly "precious treasures" to hinder their relationship with God. "Fools" and bad people (for lack of a better word...) do allow these treasures and temptations to overcome their discernment between right and wrong and their walk with Christ. Challenge yourself and channel all of your focus and energy on God! Don't allow the bad things in this pretty messed up world to harm your relationship with Him. Stay strong. (: I know I've struggled with that in the past-letting people influence my thinking and almost permanently destroy my relationship with God-and I hope we all never give up hope and ALWAYS walk with the Lord, ignoring those precious treasures.
And I'm sure you are all familiar with the Sky Ranch summer theme two years ago from 2 Corinthians 4:18..."as we look not to what is seen, but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal." This is another way to look at Proverbs 21:20. It basically says that we shouldn't focus on the tangible/seen things in life, but rather on the UNSEEN. The most important thing in our life should be our relationship with Christ. Material things should be way down at the bottom of our list or maybe not even on it. Think about it...each day, what do YOU put first in your life? What is your number one? Try to not focus so much on the physical things around you, but focus on all things Christ-like, things that are unseen. You will definitely not be able to bring any of the material things in this world with you into Heaven, so why should they matter here on Earth?!

Proverbs 21:21
"He who pursues justice and kindness will find life and honor." Yay! I'm glad this verse was in here! This proves the point I was making earlier in Proverbs 21:12...how God always seems to reward His true followers, and how good things always seem to happen to me when I'm really close to Him. Some of my best moments in my life so far have happened at times when I'm super close to Christ (like at Sky Ranch, of course!). Here's a great quote someone told me to explain why some of my best moments have been times spent at places like Sky Ranch..."You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments that stand out, the moments that you have really lived, are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love." ~ Henry Drummond. And that spirit of love is CHRIST and only Christ...living our own lives centered around His will and working to share his love and message of salvation with others.

Wow, I love this blog! That was a great way to end my day. (: Hope you all get something out of my post. And thanks everyone for posting; I'm getting SO much out of everyone else's messages, and I hope more people start to join the blog soon.

God bless,
Haley Hoyle