King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Friday, June 10, 2022
Chapters: PROVERBS 22-24
Study: What Are You Working For?
Hello My Friend,
My goodness, I think a thousand different thoughts are coming to my head as I read these chapters, but the one thing that sticks out the most is something that Jesus said, [Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.]
We just got word at my job, well, my team, that we are going back into training next week so that can learn how to process patients prescriptions through an assistance program that we offer to help people who cannot afford the very costly medicines used for their treatments. I am actually excited about it because I would be able to help so many more people, and I do not care if there is not an increase in pay, I just want to take care of the patient as they have enough to deal with. I am not going to lie, an increase in pay will help a lot and keep me from having to get a second job if any more of these unexpected events occur that have me literally begging for God to give me my daily bread this morning. And that is when God reminded me of something, right here in the Proverbs, and as we continue reading them, we are reminded of why not all of His people are rich.
[Proverbs 22:1-4,7-9 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold. 2 The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all. 3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. 4 By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life. 7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. 8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail. 9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.]
[the LORD is the maker of them all.] Why does God allow some to be rich and some poor? Two reasons; one; He knows what wealth will do to some of us and two; to glorify Himself as He grants us each day our daily bread. You see, it is not that God is opposed to us having wealth, He just wants us to depend on Him to give it to us, and once we get that through our heads, He will gladly give us what we need, [Matthew 6:25-26 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?]
[and the borrower is servant to the lender.] Is that not the truth? Regrettably, I learned that the hard way as half of my paycheck goes to paying debt, but thank God it is getting smaller and will be pretty much paid off in a couple of years. No one can predict what happens in the future that can cause us to go into debt in the first place, but we tend to rely so much on our jobs and or whatever form of income that we receive that God has to remind us that it is Him that provides us with all of that, [Matthew 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.]
[for he giveth of his bread to the poor.] This is something that I lack at times, I am not as giving as I ought to be and can be selfish with my bread. God, actually did point something out to me though as I wrote this, I am always giving my time to help people, it may not always giving out bread, but I do invest in a lot of my time to give them what they really need. Is it not incredible that while we point out our flaws, God points out our qualities? [John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.]
My greatest joy this week was when I purchased the flags for my church kids, I cannot wait to see their faces light up when they see them and ask to hold them as we say the pledges. My fruit is not always handing out bread to the poor, it is handing out the Bread of life to their soul, rich or poor. It does not matter if you are rich or poor, we will all end up in one of two places, heaven or hell. We have a choice, eternal life through Christ, which takes us to heaven, or eternal death through our own ways, which is actually the lake of fire. Do you know how many people are taught that Jesus is the only way to salvation, and died having never received the knowledge to know how to be saved? We do not want to know that number because it would be numerous. That is why Jesus sends us out into the world to preach the Gospel, and the sole purpose is because they will sit there and die rather than come into a church and learn how to get saved on their own.
[Proverbs 22:13,17-21,29 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets. 17 Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. 18 For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. 19 That thy trust may be in the LORD, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. 20 Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, 21 That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? 29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.]
[There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.] So, what does this mean? To be slothful means to be sluggish, lazy, or idle. The slothful see the dangers, yet do not know how to protect themselves, and therefore end up victims. That is where we come in, Christ’s sheep among the wolves, [Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.]
I tell you what, us faithful, God fearing Christians, cannot be slothful either, waiting for something to change, we must stand up and fight because those wolves are out with a vengeance. The wolves are the very people in our government offices, taking our bread from us, and trying to feed us with their corrupt bread. We cannot avoid them because we need to be out there searching for Christ’s lost sheep, but we can resist their bread.
[Proverbs 23:1-8 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. 4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. 6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: 7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. 8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.]
[Be not desirous of his dainties:] It is so easy to get enticed by the wicked, I mean, look at how many people are suffering right now because they ate the corrupt bread that the government is still handing out. And I am not talking about government programs to assist with those who are truly unable to work due to hardships or illnesses beyond their control. Do you think the wolves care one bit about our welfare? No! And this is exactly why we do not want to work to become rich, it will exhaust us to the point that we both, lose sight of why we are here in the first place and become weary and quit, [Galatians 6:8-10 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.]
[The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,] After the way the government funded welfare system treated my mother for trying to ask for a stove, I swore to myself that I would work three jobs before I ask them for anything. I did not even want the stimulus checks, which we are all paying for as we speak. The wolves want us to be dependent on them so they can control our lives all together, but we have someone on our side, who will put them in their place. Well, eventually, right now, we are under a little bit of chastening.
[Proverbs 23:10-17 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: 11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee. 12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. 14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. 15 My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. 16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. 17 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.]
[Remove not the old landmark;] We try so hard to forget the past, especially the mistakes, but we must not forget that they are what made us into who we are today. [for if thou beatest him with the rod,] This does not mean to actually beat your child with a stick. We are to discipline, correct, and chasten them so that when they are adults they will be honorable and respected. In fact, that is exactly God still beats us with the rod every now and then, [2 Corinthians 7:11 For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.]
Do you think you would have found Christ if your life had been any other way? Do you think that you would have the faith, strength, and courage you have today if your life would have been any other way? God uses each and every circumstance, even the biggest blunders we have ever made, to mold and shape us into who we are today, [Proverbs 24:5-6,10-12 A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. 6 For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. 10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. 11 If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?]
[If thou faint in the day of adversity,] Let me tell you, the Bible is so powerful that it gives strength to the weak, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, freedom to the slave, and life to the dead. The Bible gives us the power to stand up to adversity, to win with its two-edged sword, Christians who live a defeated life are not getting their power from God, they are trying to overcome their adversity in their own strength, [Hebrews 4:11-12 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.]
It is time that we stop working so hard for the things that God will supply us with simply by trusting Him, doing His work, not laboring to be rich of what this world has to offer, but the riches awaiting us. You see, while the just do fall from time to time because we do get weary, they get back in the strength of Christ, and He leads us to victory, [1 Corinthians 15:56-58 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.]
There is one more thing, if you are going to put so much time and investment on something why not make sure that it is something that has a return investment. Jesus, will return, and each day that passes is one more day closer to His return, and we do not want to be here on earth when that happens. We must understand that God does not want us to be vagabonds, He wants us to live, so while we take are of our house here make sure that we are taking care of our neighbors too by being the example that we need to be to lead some lost souls to Christ. And as for those who are slothful, they might as well be digging their own hole into the lake of fire.
[Proverbs 24:27-34 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. 28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. 29 Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. 30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.]
[and make it fit for thyself in the field;] In other words, take care of the foundation first. If we are not saved, we might as well be digging our own hole into the lake of fire because it will do us absolutely no good as God does not recognize us unless we have accepted Christ as our Saviour. Jesus said it this way, [Luke 14:28-30 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.]
Jesus has a way of explaining things that really opens your eyes, this is the same thing as saying that we must be standing on His foundation, not some religion, man made version of God, or figure made to represent God, but Jesus Christ Himself. We can work ourselves to death, but unless we do it standing on the right foundation, it will get burned, [1 Corinthians 3:9-11,13-15 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.]
Today’s Prayer: God, I may not be the wisest person on earth, but I am wise enough to know that it does not matter how much I have, unless you are with me, it is worthless. I have always been a hard worker, that is what my mother taught me as she was pretty much forced to take care of her three kids on her own. I tried to do things my own way and all I did was make a mess of things, but it is that mess that led me to the truth about Your Son and now I am trusting You to guide me as I labor for the true treasures. Jesus, Lead me and guide me, give me Your power to live in and through You, who is my foundation, and who makes everything possible, and supplies me with all I need. Give me Your mercy, grace, forgiveness, direction, and a heart that trusts You to take care of my every need. Let me be a faithful witness and servant, and boldly minister the Gospel to all You place before me, and let me not become weary. When I start to fall behind, give me Your strength to catch back up, and keep moving forward until You come for me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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