Bible Pathway - July 23, 2011
Read Proverbs 12:1-33
Highlights:
Besides being a revelation of God to man, the Bible provides practical instruction that covers every aspect of life. It says that eating herbs (vegetables) with someone you love is better than eating steak (Prov. 15:17).
Lies destroy trust in another person's word. Just one conversation can do evil that will last a lifetime. A lying tongue is but for a moment. . . . Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are His delight (Prov. 12:19-22). The tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and . . . it is set on fire of hell (James 3:5-6).
Christ exposed Satan as the source of all lies when He said to a few "reputable" religious leaders: Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the Truth, because there is no Truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the Truth, ye believe Me not (John 8:44-45). Because of Satan's lying tongue, death and suffering came into the world and spoiled the paradise which God had prepared for Adam and Eve. The Bible exhorts: He that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile (I Pet. 3:10).
The tongue of a liar strips a person of his good name, and breaks bonds of friendship. In contrast, wise and kind words help to heal the wounded spirit. The Son of God came to bind up the broken hearted (Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18) and to restore between God and mankind — the fellowship broken because of the slandering tongue of the devil (Gen. 3:5; Job 1:10). The tongue should be an instrument of life. The tongue that is controlled by the Holy Spirit becomes an instrument of imparting His life and Truth to others.
Truth is the great need today — Truth in word and deed as well as our thoughts. To this end Christ came into the world. Jesus answered. . . . for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto The Truth. Every one that is of The Truth heareth My voice (John 18:37). Jesus said to His disciples: I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me (John 14:6).
Thought for Today:
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death (Phil. 3:10).
Christ Revealed:
As One who hates lying (Prov. 12:22). He that sat upon the throne said. . . . all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone (Rev. 21:5,8).
Word Studies:
12:1 brutish, without regard to reason or propriety; 12:11 vain, worthless; 12:25 Heaviness, Worry; maketh it stoop, causes depression; 13:11 vanity, dishonesty; 13:16 layeth open, exposes; 14:1 plucketh, tears; 14:23 penury, poverty; 15:1 grievous, harsh; 15:17 stalled, fattened; 15:27 gifts, bribes.
Prayer Needs:
Pray for Bible Pathway Printer: Ambrose Printing Staff, Nashville TN • Staff: Jennifer Cunningham • Government Officials: Rep. Timothy Johnson (IL) and Justice Anthony Kennedy • Country: Philippines (76 million) in Southeast Asia • Major languages: Filipino and English • Religious persecution in some areas • 80% Catholic; 9% Protestant; 8% Muslim (mostly Sunni); 3% Other (Buddhist, Animist, non-Religious) • Prayer Suggestion: Trust in the Lord; He is your refuge (Ps. 15:1-4).
Optional Reading:
Memory Verse for the Week:
Psalms 34:3
