Proverbs 15:13-14

¹³ A glad heart makes a happy face;
a broken heart crushes the spirit.

We must first look at what makes a person truly joyful. True joy comes from a heart at rest, a heart that has found in Jesus a Savior who gives daily satisfaction, who takes our anxiety and gives us peace, even in the midst of the storms. And true joy comes from knowing our sins are forgiven. Matthew 9:2. . .Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Be encouraged, my child! Your sins are forgiven.” Joy!! (Big huge smiley emoticon right here)!

I am surrounded by friends that emanate this kind of joy. Even with hard circumstances they have learned to cast all their cares on God. But on the other hand, I also know those who try to carry their own burdens and sorrows and are loaded down by cares of this world. Their spirits are crushed. We are reminded in Philippians 4 to not “worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

¹⁴ A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
while the fool feeds on trash.

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” The same is true in our spiritual life. We are going to become what we feed on. The people who value knowledge and devote themselves to it are wise. It builds true character and draws them away from evil ways. The evil ways of sin, (sin that is pleasurable for a short time) that Satan uses to entice us away from God.

As children of God we must think about this, and ask ourselves, “Do I desire Christ? Do I crave him and His word above the trash the world offers? Jeremiah puts it so well, “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight. . .” Jerimiah 15:16

I have experienced this joy in discovering God’s word! He has taken my broken spirit and given me a glad heart! I want to encourage you, right now to open God’s word, let Him heal you through his words, let him speak joy into your life! If you have a discouraged, crushed spirit, let HIM renew it! Let His words be your heart’s delight!

Proverbs 14:16-17

When we are wise we have respect for God, and a fear of what we ourselves are capable of doing. We will be cautious; being aware of the pitfalls of life, so as to not fall into them. We will be mindful of who God is, we will love Him and want to serve Him with our lives. Seeking God’s direction, though His word, by communication with Him, helps us to avoid evil! We will remain humble before our God.

The contrast of seeking God is becoming confident in our own abilities, puffed up in our own understanding and pride; we plunge headlong into reckless behavior, shutting God out of our plans. We make decisions on our own, in our own knowledge. Helter skelter, with reckless confidence in ourselves.

In Psalm 71:5 we read, For You are my hope; O Lord God, You are my trust and the source of my confidence. . .

The book of Proverbs is full of contrasts, so many warnings and instructions on how to behave. Just in these two verses alone we are instructed, “Be wise, prepare for what’s ahead, don’t be angry and do foolish things, don’t scheme and plan wickedness.”

We read, we study, we know . . . now we must act!

So let us choose to put our confidence in God today. To let Him direct our steps as we walk through our day with Him. He is our hope and confidence!

Proverbs 13:11-12

¹¹ Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
wealth from hard work grows over time.

Money gained or won quickly, many times is dwindled away just as rapidly. It is generally used on self and what self wants. We read in Ephesians 4:28, If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. This is a great example of God’s “upside down” kingdom. Work hard, give generously. Say, what?!! Yep!! When we have the attitude of pleasing God in our work, and realizing everything we have is from Him, it will help us to be more generous in helping others in need.

¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Hope is a precious and wonderful thing. Hope is the expectation of something desired. If the thing you desire is not obtained in the time expected, your heart and soul are grieved and pained by the delay.

I think of prayer, and the many times we can lose hope as we are praying for someone we love. Maybe weeks go by with no answer and then months, at times the months turn into years, and we feel like God does not hear us. We start losing hope, almost giving in to hopelessness. We can become sick with worry, in despair over the unanswered prayer. However, when the answer finally comes it brings life to our souls! Our hearts are encouraged and revived. God gives us hope! Romans 15:13 says that God is the source of hope! Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overflow with confident hope. So we can pray with confidence, knowing God hears us and wants us to have hope that the answer is coming.