Proverbs 19

Read Proverbs 19

We need to walk in integrity. We seek a strong desire for God that is informed by a true knowledge of His Word. Ask the Lord for a holy awareness of the life that He has for us to live here and now. Humbly seek His provision of daily bread, and godliness with contentment, which is great gain. Pray for the best relationships possible with family members and friends, and fruitfulness for loved ones.

These are good desires. They require the gifts that can only come from Almighty God. This great God is perfect in holiness and justice. When He looked at mankind in Genesis 6:5, He “saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” How can we, in our poverty of spirit, with our unwise use of speech and our blotted record of life, expect to receive daily blessings from such a great God?

All these wonderful gifts would be impossible without Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God. Jesus lived and died for us. His record has become our record, and He is the King.

In Jesus, the rewards won for us by the King of heaven and earth come to sinners who are willing to “fight the good fight” of faith. His favor toward us is not partial, but total and eternal. It is “like dew on the grass,” covering every inch of our lives with the grace of God.

God has seen our poverty and has made a commitment to our well-being. If others care for us in our needs, He will surely pay them back. He has even taken over the management of our lives, giving us the correction and discipline we need to make us the sons and daughters He intends us to be. His purpose will stand forever, since it is secured in the steadfast love and obedience of Jesus Christ. He has reserved for us a life without the harm of this fallen world, a life that is there for us even now in the present heavens.

Without Jesus, we have no way of understanding how God could rightly give us anything good. But in Jesus, we can ask the Lord for heavenly wisdom and He will give us the desires of our hearts. We are children of the King. We want to hear the Word of our Father and to follow Jesus today. Lead on, O King eternal!

Prayer from A Book of Prayers

Our Father, grant us integrity and knowledge more than raw intelligence and wit. Grant to us a true generosity of heart that comes by Your grace. Make us to be people of good sense who know the glory of overlooking an offense. Grant us peace within our homes, and diligence throughout our lives. Your Son has come from a heavenly home of perfect integrity, and has given us the incomparable gift of a most wise and generous salvation. Thank You for the blessings of life that have come from Your hand. Even now You speak to us from Your Word, and You give us instruction and knowledge.