A chapter of the Book of Proverbs for each day

The Book of Proverbs having 31 chapters isn't a mere coincidence. God designed it this way so that we might have "words to live by" for each day of the month. See the very first verse- Proverbs 1:1 (TPT)-

"Here are kingdom revelations, words to live by, and words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life, written as proverbs by Israel’s King Solomon, David’s son."

God Himself is telling us that He gave us this Book so that we might live and reign in life! There's so much more here. For example, are you desirous of knowing "skilful and godly Wisdom and instruction" aka Christ Himself who is our Wisdom from God? God's Word Himself shows us the Way in verse 2 of the first chapter:

"That people may know skillful and godly Wisdom and instruction, discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight," Proverbs 1:2

What about the ability to demonstrate wisdom in your family, career, health and every other facet of life? Human logic fails us all the time. How do you intuitively know when to promote an employee or when to let him go? According to God's word in verse 3, this Book has got you covered:

"Those who cling to these words will receive discipline to demonstrate wisdom in every relationship and to choose what is right and just and fair." Proverbs 1:3 (TPT)

How about raising or mentoring kids and teens? Just look around you- many people that the world sees as "failures" had loving parents and a very decent upbringing. In the very next verse 4, God's word says the Book of Proverbs will give you "great" skill for this very important mission-

"These proverbs will give you great skill to teach the immature and make them wise, to give youth the understanding of their design and destiny." Proverbs 1:4.

In the next verse (5) is the benefit or importance of the Book of Proverbs for the mature who have already been blessed to know Wisdom and Discernment-

"For the wise, these proverbs will make you even wiser, and for those with discernment, you will be able to acquire brilliant strategies for leadership." Proverbs 1:5.

Recall that Christ taught in parables a whole lot! I used to think that His use of parables was to make His teaching easier to understand. But it was hide kingdom truths from the unbelieving! See this in Matthew 13:10-15-

"Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him, “Why do You use parables when You talk to the people?” Jesus answered, “The knowledge about the secrets of the Kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. For the person who has something will be given more, so that he will have more than enough; but the person who has nothing will have taken away from him even the little he has. The reason I use parables in talking to them is that they look, but do not see, and they listen, but do not hear or understand. So the prophecy of Isaiah applies to them: ‘This people will listen and listen, but not understand; they will look and look, but not see, because their minds are dull, and they have stopped up their ears and have closed their eyes. Otherwise, their eyes would see, their ears would hear, their minds would understand, and they would turn to Me, says God, and I would heal them.’

Believers, to we who have been given Grace to believe, the Lord God Himself has given us the key to understanding the words (parables, riddles, epigrams) of the Wise (Christ Himself.) The key is the Book of Proverbs. Proverbs 1:6 says of its contents:

"These kingdom revelations will break open your understanding to unveil the deeper meaning of parables, poetic riddles, and epigrams, and to unravel the words and enigmas of the wise."

"Parables, poetic riddles, and epigrams" and "the words and enigmas of the wise" refer to the entire Bible aka the Word of God who is the embodiment of Wisdom. Believer, the entire Bible is a book of poetry, full of metaphors and subtle nuances that are ripe with meaning. And Proverbs is the key to unlocking these treasures of Christ. 31 chapters, one for each day.

Did you know that the "wise woman" who builds her home and the Proverbs 31 woman refer to the church aka the bride of Christ comprising both males and females? How many of us have sat under dull preaching where "pastor" used those words of Christ (whose strength is made perfect in weakness!) to whack and condemn the weak among us? How many have been led to aspire to be the wise woman by their human strength aka the arm of flesh that will fail? The wise woman is simply the woman (church, bride of Christ) who has Wisdom- Christ Himself.

For many of us, the Book of Proverbs aka these "words of wisdom given to empower you to reign in life" (Proverbs 1:2) have been sitting dormant on our sides-tools and in our smartphones! By Grace, let's feed on these words and live the abundant life in Christ. And how are the innumerable benefits of the Book of Proverbs manifested in our lives? How do we grow strong spiritually? We see a parallel in our physical growth pattern:

When we eat rice and stew for lunch, do we do anything to facilitate peristalsis (the series of muscle contractions that moves food to different processing stations in the digestive tract?) Do we do anything to facilitate the process of converting the rice into glucose or the absorption of same into our bloodstream to give us energy? No. We just eat and get on with it. Sometimes, the food “comes back up" by itself and we re-chew and swallow- a picture of meditating on the word. Our body systems take care of everything. It is the same process when we feed on God's word. Daily. The faith that makes us whole from fear, disease, lack and all earthly ills comes by hearing the word of Christ. The Holy Spirit in us does the "digestion" of the word and strengthens us through the Word that we feed on. See this in Christ's word in Mark 4:26-29:

"Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

Very important to watch what word/seed we are feeding on too. "Your faith has made you whole" is Christ's word. Following the Ten Commandments or doing anything at all in order to get right with God or get God to bless is not of faith. The law is not of faith. The letter kills.

Just as we get we get weak and fatigued without eating food throughout the day, without hearing the word of Christ, we become weak spiritually. The Book of Proverbs and its 31 chapters - one for each day of the month - is a great place to begin our daily nourishment in the Word. Let's not worry if most of it seems like Greek at first. As long as we're reading (or hearing for those who prefer audiovisual stuff,) we're being fed and will get the benefits that come with having insight and understanding of Christ. Remember, the Holy Spirit in us takes care of “peristalsis, digestion and growth” through the Word. He opens our eyes to know and believe God's Word and see the true meaning of Bible verses/passages that are being misinterpreted from many pulpits today.

If you are so spiritually weak that reading or hearing the Word is a such a huge chore for you right now, never condemn yourself because Christ does not. He loves and cherishes you still. His strength is made perfect in weakness so you are the perfect candidate for His salvation from a lack of passion for the word that gives life. You can start by playing those audio-Bibles while you sleep. The Holy Spirit neither slumbers nor sleeps just as your body does not shut down its processes while you are sleeping.

While the Proverbs can be interprered in a literal and practical sense, their wisdom transcends mere surface reading. Here's one oft misintsrpreted passage from the same Proverbs 1-

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:" Proverbs 1:10-‬11 (KJV)

Who really is the sinner here? Recall that this is a proverb; an enigma. A riddle. There is a deeper meaning of practical insight to guide our steps in the way of Christ. Recall the Old Testament is "Christ hidden" and the New Testament is "Christ revealed." Now see the definition of "sinner" according to God's word in the New Testament:

"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19.

Adam's sin made all of his descendants to become sinners. And what was Adam's sin? He disobeyed God by heeding Satan's enticing teaching to Eve: that man can be godly (be like God) through human effort at eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which kills. If you look closely at the teaching in many churches today, it is based on the same enticing foundation of trying to attain godliness by keeping the law which kills and which gives the same knowledge as the tree. See The Passion Translation of Proverbs 1:10-11-

"When peer pressure compels you to go with the crowd and sinners invite you to join in, you must simply say, “No!” When the gang says— “We’re going to steal and kill and get away with it."

Satan is the thief that cometh to steal, to kill and to destroy. Before Satan can kill, he first has to steal the word which says that it is by Christ's obedience that we are made righteous and not ours in Romans 5:19. Also see Romans 5:9-

"And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God."

Satan knows that once the word about God's freely-given gift of everlasting righteousness/godliness in Christ is stolen from the flock, people will have no choice but to follow the seemingly good but deathly example of Adam and Eve who tried to be godly by human effort. Death (preceded by its symptoms of earthly ills such as depression and lack) follows such who strive to be godly by themselves. This is how Satan kills and destroys. His strategy has not changed since Eden. Beloved of God, by Grace, we resist him steadfast in the faith. The law is not of faith.

Many "pastors" are helping Satan propagate his false doctrine which promotes putting confidence even an iota of human effort (arm of flesh) for the attainment of good/godliness. These ones and their followers do not believe Romans 5:19-

"By one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous." Romans 5:19.

They think that they are good by themselves or that they have the might/ability to keep even a tittle of the law by the arm of flesh/human effort which God's word says will fail. They are the "sinners" that God warns us about in Proverbs 1:10 aka anyone who does not have Christ as his utter Source of Righteousness:

"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:"

Their doctrine (trying to be godly by human effort aka law-keeping) kills. The law is not of faith. Beloved of God, by Grace, we resist Satan and his "pastor" agents by being steadfast in the faith. The law is not of faith.

So much more to the Book of Proverbs where we can receive daily doses of God's Wisdom by His Grace. A chapter a day keeps all Foolishness at bay. See the definition of "Foolishness" according to God's word in Galatians 3:1-5-

"Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of His death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it? I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ." Galatians 3:1-‬5.

It is foolishness to follow the doctrine of ministers of Satan who teach that horrid mixture "neither cold nor hot" doctrine that promotes putting even an iota of confidence in man's ability to obey aka:

"Yes we are saved by Grace but at least we should try to do our best to be obedient and righteous aka follow the Law so that God can bless us and so that we should “not perish but have everlasting life."

Christ has been removed from such equations of salvation. Always behind such false preaching is the hankering after self-glorification aka "I am a good person" when God's Word says "There is none good but God." But all glory must be to the Lord.

Always, there's much more to God's word than meets the eye and clinging to the Book of Proverbs by Grace unlocks the treasures of His Word. By Grace, as we read this Book of Wisdom, our eyes are opened to God's love, the Truth about our Salvation and the treasures within.

Right believing always produces right living