In Proverbs 17, 18, & 19, we are reminded that isolation is not good. We are created by God for God and for community and relationship. Isolation leads to pursuing selfish desires, sin and ultimately destruction. We are told repeatedly to watch our words withing those relationships and communities. We all tend to have too many words and need to be intentional about following Jesus and the lead of the Holy Spirit in everything - especially our words. Words are to encourage and build up, not tear down. If it's not my story, I'm not sharing it and if it's not your story, I don't want to hear it. Gossip is sin and we need to be intentional about shutting it down. Unless you are encouraging someone, it doesn't need to be said. That's wisdom. Jesus never talked about anyone else. He talked about God. We need to live the Word every day of our lives and talk about God. We are commissioned to spread the Good News of Jesus, not lies and slander about other people.

In Proverbs 15 & 16, the emphasis is again on our words. Our words matter and how we say our words matters. Pride, arrogance, and harshness only stirs up more and more anger and division. A gentle, softer, kinder, loving word of encouragement turns away anger and division. How we respond to life matters. God knows how and why we are using our tongues and the heart and motives behind our words. Are we encouraging others to pursue Jesus and magnifying the love, kindness, mercy, grace, and forgiveness of Him? What is in our hearts is what comes out of our mouths. If we are fully surrendered to Jesus as Lord of all - including our tongues, then our words and actions will show it. When we pursue Jesus passionately and fall more and more in love with Him, it's His Spirit who speaks through you. We begin to reflect His glory to those around us and draw more and more to Jesus as we do.

In Proverbs 12, 13, & 14, we are shown the difference in life between being foolish or wise and wicked or loving. A lot of emphasis is put on the words we speak because it's of our hearts that words are spoken. If we squeeze toothpaste out of the tube, you cannot get it back in the tube. It's out for good. The same goes for our words. We need to be yielded to Jesus and let the Holy Spirit lead and move in every area of our lives, especially the words we speak. We need to be intentional to not speak sinfully, speak to encourage and edify - not tear down, speak with restraint and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, speak reverently and in faith knowing God is right here listening to every word spoken, speak prayerfully and in the humble fear and awe of God and who He is, speak with the love and kindness of the Lord. We need to be intentional with our words to bring love and not destruction to those around us.

(John 20:1-18)

Jesus shouted through the folded linen left in the empty tomb: "I'm coming back! I'm not finished!" John, Peter, and Mary got the message loud and clear and Jesus desperately hopes we do as well and that our hearts are humble and prepared for His return.

In Proverbs 10 & 11, we are taught the difference between the wise, the foolish and the lazy. We are shown what it is to be faithfully generous before the Lord rather than greedily wicked. Wise people listen to God's Word and pursue His holiness. Wise people spend intentional time with God letting His presence saturation your entire being. Wise people fear the Lord with reverent awe and worship of His glory and who He is. Wise people only allow others who are passionately pursuing Jesus and His holiness into their inner circles of life. Wise people run quickly away from temptations and sin. Wise people hold their tongues and let God rule and reign in every situation. Wise people encourage everyone around them to passionately pursue Jesus, heart and soul, with all their guts and every last exhale.

Proverbs 7, 8, & 9 offer us an invitation to join Wisdom, join Jesus, and eat with Him at His table. We have to choose to join Jesus at His table and consume His Word every single day. We need to be intentional and remain in continual prayer letting Him guide our steps every single day. If we miss a day with Jesus, we will get hungry and temptations for sin will rise up. It's just like missing a day of food - all the sudden those M&M's look like even better. They might even have a glow. When we spend time with Jesus and allow Him to fill us to overflowing every day, there's no room for sinful temptations and they don't even look appealing any longer. You fall more and more in love with Jesus and no longer want anything else. The table of Jesus leads to Life - now and for eternity. Sin's table leads to death, misery, and destruction - now and for eternity. The choice is ours to make every morning. Wisdom calls and invites us to the table of Jesus. It's up to us to choose to join Him.

In Proverbs 4, 5, & 6, we are shown there is great wisdom in running away from sin and temptations. Whether the temptations come from Satan, our own fleshly desires, or the world around us - we need to run away. Resisting temptation is a lot less difficult if the temptation is no where near us. Like Joseph, run away with all you've got. If you have repented from sin and submitted your heart and life to Jesus, His Holy Spirit resides in you. You have the power to say no to sin and temptations right in you. If we do fail and fall to sin, we are to repent quickly, get back up and keep running forward pursuing the holiness of Jesus with all our guts. Let God lead. Ask for His Wisdom. Follow His guidance. Jesus gave us the best example of how to live a humble life on earth passionately following God's will and lead. Pursue Jesus. He will lead you to an eternity with Him and nothing on earth will ever compare to that.

In Proverbs 2 & 3, the benefits of seeking the wisdom of the Lord in everything we do and say are revealed. Wisdom protects your path with the Lord. The only way to end up at the right destination is to choose the right road. Scripture continually encourages us to choose God's path and follow Him, heart and soul. We all have to pick a road in life and there is no "middle" road available. When you lean against a tree, you are trusting in the tree's ability and strength to hold you up. You believe the tree won't fall down. God is bigger and mightier than a tree. As long as you choose to lean on God and rely on His strength to keep you from falling over, you will stand firm in faith. God is with us and will strengthen us, hold us, and guide us on the right path straight to an eternity with Him. Lean on the Tree of Life given by Jesus - our Lord and Savior for all eternity. Rest in Him alone. He will hold you up and guide you home if you are willing to humbly let Him.

The nails did not keep Jesus on the cross. His passionate love for each and every one of us did. No one can force us to love Jesus. It's up to us to choose to pursue Him and His holiness every day He gives us. It's up to us to humbly submit our hearts, lives, and wills to Jesus with all our guts. It's up to us to put our trust in Him, heart and soul. Radical-sacrificial-risk-taking obedience to Jesus is driven by love.

In Proverbs 1, we are introduced to the Book of wisdom. The Book that God wrote through King Solomon, who was given great wisdom by God Himself. We are given comparisons between common, concrete images and life's most profound truths. Through God's Word, we learn the fundamentals of how to live out His Word in our everyday daily lives and follow His path and plan for our lives. Everyday we wake up and throughout our days, we have a choice to make. Are you going to follow God's way? Or the way of the world? Jesus is Wisdom and we need to intentionally choose Him every day and never stop depending on the Lord through everything the day ahead may bring. We are to fear God with respect and awe of who He is. True wisdom is using what God teaches you to live out God's plan for your life. We seek God, experience Him, and pursue the holiness of Jesus with all our guts and every breath our lungs offer.