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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com.
Speaker 1: You're listening to the Chapter a Day Audio Bible. I'm
Speaker 1: John Stogey, and today we're in Proverbs chapter twenty four
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the New Living Translation. Don't
Speaker 1: envy evil people or desire their company. For their hearts
Speaker 1: plot violence, and their words always stir up trouble. A
Speaker 1: house is built by wisdom and becomes strong through good sense,
Speaker 1: through knowledge. Its rooms are filled with all sorts of
Speaker 1: precious riches and valuables. The wys are mightier than the strong,
Speaker 1: and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger. So don't
Speaker 1: go to war without wise guidance. Victory depends on having
Speaker 1: met any advisors. Wisdom is too lofty for fools. Among
Speaker 1: leaders at the city gate, they have nothing to say.
Speaker 1: A person who plans evil will get a reputation as
Speaker 1: a troublemaker. The schemes of a fool are sinful. Everyone
Speaker 1: detests a mocker. If you fail under pressure, your strength
Speaker 1: is too small. Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die.
Speaker 1: Save them as they stagger to their death. Don't excuse
Speaker 1: yourself by saying, look, we didn't know. For God understands
Speaker 1: all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your
Speaker 1: soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as
Speaker 1: their actions deserve. My child, eat honey, for it is good,
Speaker 1: and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the
Speaker 1: same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you
Speaker 1: find it, you will have a bright future and your
Speaker 1: hopes will not be cut short. Don't wait in ambush
Speaker 1: at the home of the godly, and don't raid the
Speaker 1: house where the godly live. The godly may trip seven times,
Speaker 1: but they will get up again. But one disaster is
Speaker 1: enough to overthrow the wicked. Don't rejoice when your enemies fall.
Speaker 1: Don't be happy when they stumble, for the Lord will
Speaker 1: be displeased with you and will turn his anger away
Speaker 1: from them. Don't fret because of evildoers. Don't envy the wicked,
Speaker 1: for evil people have no future. The light of the
Speaker 1: wicked will be snuffed out. My child, fear the Lord
Speaker 1: and the King. Don't associate with rebels, for disaster will
Speaker 1: hit them suddenly. Who knows what punishment will come from
Speaker 1: the Lord and the King. Here are some further sayings
Speaker 1: of the wives. It is wrong to show favoritism when
Speaker 1: passing judgment. A judge who says to the wicked you
Speaker 1: are innocent will be cursed by many people and denounced
Speaker 1: by the nations. But it will go well for those
Speaker 1: who convict the guilty. Rich blessings will be showered on them.
Speaker 1: An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship. Do
Speaker 1: your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
Speaker 1: Don't testify against your neighbors without cause. Don't lie about them,
Speaker 1: and don't say, now I can pay them back for
Speaker 1: what they've done to me, I'll get even with them.
Speaker 1: I walked by the field of a lazy person, the
Speaker 1: vineyard of one with no common sense. I saw that
Speaker 1: it was overgrown with nettles, it was covered with weeds,
Speaker 1: and its walls were broken down. Then, as I looked
Speaker 1: and thought about it, I learned this lesson. A little
Speaker 1: extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of
Speaker 1: the hands to rest. Then poverty will pounce on you
Speaker 1: like a bandit. Scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Speaker 1: Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at it together today, and we're grateful, Lord for
Speaker 1: the wisdom that you grant us through faith in your
Speaker 1: son Jesus Christ, and you invite us to be people
Speaker 1: who work hard, who trust in you, and who walk
Speaker 1: with you faithfully. Lord. We pray that that would be
Speaker 1: something that you would foster in our hearts and in
Speaker 1: our minds, that we would learn to pattern our lives
Speaker 1: after the teaching of your word, and that we would
Speaker 1: implement the things that we find in these pages. Lord,
Speaker 1: we're grateful for your presence with us today, and we
Speaker 1: commit this day to your care, and thank you for
Speaker 1: all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.