He who is slow to anger, allays contention.

Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Again, the problem of anger and wrath are addressed. A man can do or act two different ways, and have two different outcomes or consequences.

A man can be wrathful and wind up stirring up strife. A man who is furious, raging, indignant, and has bottled up anger within himself, can be like poison and snake venom. It will bring nothing but strife, or contention, and discord.

But, when a man is slow to anger ( notice not a man who does not have anger ) but a man who is slow to anger, or who is exercising some self control, that man will allay the contention. That is, he will help to settle the matter, to appease the problem, to bring some peace, to help settle the disturbance, and bring quietness.

Proverbs really points out in a very direct way both God’s wisdom and man’s foolishness. And, continually reminds us that we cannot make it on our own. We need God’s help in our lives, in more ways then we even know.

It seems easier to find God’s help when we are face to face with our own problems and our own sins and weaknesses.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is our shepherd, and that He will lead us, and encourages us to follow. Following often starts with confession of our sins and turning in humility to God. He is there to receive us and to forgive us and to then lead us.

Father, what more can we say. How we need You. And, how thankful we are that we are not without hope in our lives, especially during times of sin, darkness and pain. We look to You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. It’s good to remember, God’s Word is true.

2. It’s helpful to ask for help from God.

3. The Holy Spirit is called our helper.

4. May we become peacemakers, not trouble makers.

5. God is always ready to help a person when they are down.

6. When we are down, we can look up.

7. When we are down, we don’t have to give up.

8. God looks down on us with love and mercy.

P.S. One of the great blessings we have in Christ, is that God not only forgives us of our sins as we confess them to Him, but, He also promises to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Patience, and impulsiveness....and their effect....

Proverbs 14:29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.

The man who is slow to wrath, slow means, longsuffering, and longwinded, and patient, and wrath, means, anger, has great understanding. Understanding means, right, well, fitted, and good, to be level, and to be smooth, as opposed to rough spots.

And, then in contrast to the man who is slow to wrath we are told that the person who is impulsive exalts folly. To be impulsive is of course to do something quickly and without thinking, and it leads to foolishenss.

A patient man has understanding, and an impulsive man brings foolishness.

In context, it’s not just talking about being an impulsive person ( though that does lead to foolishness ), but it’s talking about not controlling yourself when your angry, and just letting your anger out. It will come to no good end.

Anger in and of itself is not sinful, but it can lead us to sin. What we need when we are angry is self control. To control oneself in those moments of anger is indeed to have understanding, because we know what lack of self control can do.

Galatians 5:23, speaks of the self control being something the Holy Spirit gives to us.

Perhaps one of the best things we can do in moments of anger is to stop and pray within ourselves to the Lord. Easier said then done, but nonetheless the best course of action.

Father, how many times we need You, and Your power to help us with ourselves and our sins, and our problems. Thank You that You do not forsake us or abandon us, but rather are here and can be found in our times of need. We love You.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. Remember God does not condemn you for your failures.

2. He also forgives our sins when we confess them.

3. And, He wants to help us overcome our sins and failures.

4. He loves you.

5. He hears you when you call.

6. He will never leave you.

7. He is faithful to help us.

What makes the heart sick, or happy?

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

Here are told what can make the heart sick. If we are hoping for something, that is if we are waiting for it, if we are expecting it, and it is deferred, or dragged on, or prolonged, delayed, it can and will make us sick.

Sick here, means to become weak, wounded, sorry, and grieved.

When the thing we desire does not happen when we want it to, we can become filled with sorrow.

But, when the desire comes it is a tree of life. This is of course the other side of the proverbial coin. When the thing that we have been hoping for, and waiting for comes to pass, we are so blessed. This is the image the Lord gives us to describe what it's like within our hearts. It's like a tree of life within our souls and our minds.

This is one of those verses in the Bible, especially in Proverbs that just explains what really happens in life, and what can happen to us, both with sadness, and with gladness. It tells us what can make us sick and what can make us happy.

And, this verse also can help us to think through how we are dealing with the desires of our heart and life. And, what is the best way to deal with them, so as not to become sick and sad and grieved.

The Lord teaches us through His Word, to trust Him with our lives, our thoughts, our desires, hopes, etc, etc. To trust the Lord is to leave the outcome of all things with Him, in His hands, and to not try and force our way, but to let the Lord bring about His way in His time, and in His way.

There is certainly nothing wrong with having the desires have, but, we can avoid alot of heart sickness by surrendering those things to the Lord.

There is one desire that we have, and we will not be disappointed in. And, that is the fact that one day, we will see the Lord face to face, and be with Him forevermore.

Also, we can count on the fact, that the Lord in His wisdom and love, is indeed working all things together for our good. We often cannot see the good that is coming from what we call a bad situation. But, just because we can't see it, does not mean it isn't being worked for our good.

Lord, We thank You for the comfort we find in life through Your Word. It's so fitting for our lives, and our circumstances. Would You help us Lord to give ourselves to You, and do indeed surrender what we want, and trust Your wisdom, timing and plans.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/ Promises.

1. His ways are not our ways.

2. His ways are much better then our ways.

3. His ways are for our good, not our destruction.

4. His ways are explained to us in the Bible

5. His ways have to do with the right way.

6. His ways are shown to us through prayer.

7. His ways become our ways through grace.

8. His ways bless us more then our ways can.

2 truths about the righteous........

Proverbs 12:12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

Proverbs 12:13 The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will come through trouble.

The early chapters of Proverbs express God's wisdom by way of contrast's and comparisons.

These verses are a contrast between the wicked and the righteous. You will notice the word "but" is used 2 times to speak of contrast between the two.

There are two major differences in these verses. The wicked covet or lust for, delight in, the catch, or stronghold of evil men. In other words, they themselves being wicked, ( ungodly, criminal, hostile to God ) want what other evil men have, so they can be stronger. They are marked by wanting more of that which is evil and wicked.

But, and in contrast to the wicked, the root of the righteous yields fruit....Here's the 1st truth. A righteous person is not on their own, they are connected to God, and thus, will have God's fruit coming forth in their lives. They yield fruit.....

Finally, and here's where the 2nd truth is found. The righteous will come through trouble. The wicked will be ensnared by the transgression of his own lips, ( he will wind up being trapped by his own words ) But, notice this wonderful promise to the believer.

The righteous will come through trouble. For the child of God, though they will have trouble, and no doubt trouble because they are the children of God, and suffer living in this world of evil, they have this promise that they will come through the trouble. They may be in trouble at the moment, but they will not always be there, they will get through it.

God tells us in His Word, that nothing can separate us from His love. And that He who has begun a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Trials and tribulations are designed by God to make us stronger in our faith, and to help us yield and partake of the peaceable fruit of righteousness, and to then be able to comfort others with the comfort we have received.

So, in summary........The righteous yield fruit......the fruit of the Spirit, the love of God.

And, the righteous are going to make it through the trouble they find. They will endure, and they will endure because of who they are in Christ. They are His people.

Lord, You have brought us to Yourself through faith in Jesus Christ, and declared us to be righteous in Your site. And, You have given us the Bible to explain not only who we are, but what life is about, and how to live our lives while we wait to go to heaven. Thank You for the fruit that is yielded in our lives, and thank You for the comfort of verses 13, that Your people do come through trouble. We love you, in Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/ promises

1. Be patient...fruit will come .

2. Be believing.....trust the Lord.

3. Don't worry, God will see you through the trouble.

4. Be thankful for His promises.

5. Act upon the Word of God He brings to you.

6. Think about the Lord not your troubles.

7. Pray for your enemies, that's what Jesus did.

8. Fruit and victory, 2 words that belong to the christian.

Where will these 2 lead you?

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

All of these can be ours, and each of them will lead us somewhere.

When pride comes, then comes shame. What is pride, and what is shame? The word pride here, comes from a word that means, to boil, to boil up, to seethe, and it literally means to be arrogant. Pride will lead you to, or is followed by shame. Which means, disgrace, and confusion, humiliation, embarrassment, and to be discredited, loss of face.

On the other hand, and this is much better news, with the humble is wisdom. Humility, is to be of a lowly spirit. or to be deferential, respectful, submissive, unassertive, not overbearing, and not proud. When we have humility, we will have wisdom, which means to have skill, and to have your wits about you, and to act wisely, to have common sense, to act rationally, and not be foolish, or stupid.

In verse 13, we are told that the integrity of the upright will guide them. Integrity, comes from a word meaning clean, good character, moral, decent, fair, righteousness, and truthful. These are the ways of the Lord. He cleanses us from our sins, and He leads us in the paths of righteousness. He leads us to be this way, and then we find ourselves being guided, or going in the correct path, and in the straight way.

Lastly, and here is what all of us want to avoid, and that is to be perverse, or to have perversity in our lives. It means to twist, to pervert, to distort, to overturn, to ruin, to be crooked in our dealings with others. This kind of living will bring destruction into our lives. It will absolutely devastate our lives. It will rob us of blessing, it will cause us to have wasted lives.

The good in our lives comes from the Lord through the Holy Spirit, working through God's Word, to produce fruit in our lives, and the bad, comes from our own fallen natures. The Bible calls it our flesh.

Here's some more good news......Our Lord, who is the Good Shepherd, wants to and will lead us this very day into humility, and into integrity. We can follow Him today. Let's do it.

Father, we used to sheep without a shepherd, and sometimes we even feel that way today, and may be acting like sheep without a shepherd. But, we know You are our shepherd, and we know that we can hear your voice, and that You want to and can, and will lead us today into the paths of righteousness. We want to follow You...

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1.We hear our Shepherd through His Word.

2. He knows each of His sheep.

3. He cares for His sheep.

4. We can follow Him.

5. The Holy Spirit is our helper.

6. Paths of righteousness lay ahead today.

7. Let's let Him lead us today.

8. Humility, Wisdom, Integrity, and Guidance are for us.

9. God can un-twist your heart.

Gladness and strength.....

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.

Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is strength for the upright, But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.

Here are two things that we can be blessed with from the Lord, He is the giver of these two things, and He wants us to have them in our lives day by day. Gladness and strength.

1. Gladness. First of all, this is not because we have earned this, or that we are righteous by our good deeds, but rather, as God's people who have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ......Gladness what is it? It means to be of a merry heart. It speaks of a glad result, or a happy issue, to have joy, the joy of God in our lives. This is our hope. We can hope for, expect this joy in our lifetime here on earth, and then for eternity. Maybe you don't have joy at the moment. More about that in just a moment...

2. Strength. The word here means, fortress, a place of safety, protection, refuge, a harbor, a stronghold. We are told that strength is the way of the Lord. Or that in the way of the Lord, in our following Him, abiding in Him, etc, He will be our strength, He will give us strength, He will be that refuge and protection for our lives.

Back to gladness.....and for those who today, may have sadness instead. What can we say. The verse says the HOPE of the righteous is gladness.

As with many things in life, we must wait for them. That's exactly what hope means here. It means to wait, to expect, to tarry, to wait for, to hope for.

Waiting is Biblical. Many times God's people are encouraged to wait upon the Lord.

Here's just one example.........

Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Sometimes the Lord has us in a place of just waiting. We have God's promise in Isa 40:31, that renewed strength will come, mounting up with wings as of eagles, running and not weary, walking and not fainting. Sure sounds like gladness to me.

Father, we may be those in need of gladness and strength today, or someone else who is reading this devotional today may be in need. We pray for ourselves, we pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, bring that gladness, give that strength today Lord. Give grace to just wait upon You. And, Lord there may be some of us today who are abounding with gladness and a renewed sense of strength, we thank YOU for those blessings in our lives. May it show in our faces and in our words today......bless those we come in contact with.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises.

1. We can wait upon God.

2. We can expect God to come through.

3. We can say thank You Lord for coming through for us.

4. We ask the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh this very moment.

5. We may be walking in that gladness and strength today.

6. We can help others by walking in love towards them.

7. He is the giver of these blessings.

8. He will do it, because He is faithful.

The fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God and wisdom, or scoffing.

Below, are 3 verses that describe what the fear of the Lord and the knowledge of God, and wisdom can bring into our lives, along with a sobering statement about the loneliness of being a scoffer.

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:11 For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

Proverbs 9:12 f you are wise, you are wise for yourself, And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.

The verse about the Fear of the Lord comes right after a few verses which talk about scoffers who won't listen to God's counsel, and wise men who will.

Solomon is describing the Fear of the Lord in 9:10, it's the beginning of wisdom. And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

So, to break those down just a little.....To fear God is the starting place of wisdom, or skill in living, be it in battle, or the daily affairs of life, the spiritual life we live, and or having skill in matters of what is right and what is wrong.

Understanding, is to have insight, to be able to discern and distinguish what is right and wrong.

Both wisdom and understanding come from God, and our relationship with Him, our knowledge of Him. To know Him, is to have these things in our lives, they are some of the fruit that He brings to us.

We can have a long and fruitful life because of our association with God, and our knowledge of God, or we can not.

Scoffing, and scoffers are mentioned many, many times in the Book of Proverbs.

To scoff is to mock, it is to talk arrogantly, it is to be inflated with oneself, it is to deride others, ( act contemptuously towards others, to ridicule, to mock, to jeer, to sneer, taunt, disdain, denigrate, disrespect, insult, lampoon, and be satirical )

The truth in Proverbs, is that if you are a scoffer, ( one who will not really listen to wisdom when they should ) that you will incur it's penalty. You will be alone. You will find yourself cut off from others, you will not be growing in fellowship with others etc, etc......

So, God's wisdom is for us to live in the fear of the Lord ( Respecting God and letting that respect show up in the way we live. ) God's wisdom is for us to know Him personally, intimately, consistently, and to gain His understanding about life, and to be blessed in our lives with His blessings. We can enjoy the fruit of a relationship with God.......

Thank You Lord for the Book of Proverbs.

In Jesus name, amen.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Senior Pastor, Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises.

1. We can walk in the fear of the Lord.

2. We can know the Lord.

3. God invites us to both of these things above.

4. There are wonderful consequences to be had.

5. God can keep us from our foolishness.

6. He wants to bless you.

7. The choice is up to us, day by day.

8. His Spirit will fill us day by day.

9. Keep Jesus central one day at a time.