Verse 2
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Understand that we have a tendency to justify our own actions. Remember that God looks at our secret thoughts and motives; we can't hide these from Him.
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Ask yourself, “How would God see and judge my motives?” Let that awareness guide your thoughts and decisions.
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Verse 5
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You will be effective if you make plans. If you plan and work those plans well, it will lead to success. But if you are impatient and act without careful thinking or planning, you will fail.
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Don't just work hard. Be patient to make careful plans, and work those plans well.
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Verse 9, 19
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If your marriage is dysfunctional, this will hurt far more than a meager living space.
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Don't focus on material things. Focus on being godly and cultivating a godly marriage first, and you will have joy no matter your material possessions.
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Verse 11
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Foolish people will only think to accept wisdom and correction after they experience the consequences of foolishness themselves or see those consequences experienced by others.
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But a truly wise person doesn't need to experience consequences of foolishness in order to learn; they will learn as soon as they hear wisdom or correction from a wise person or from the Word.
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Don't wait to accept correction until after you suffer for rejecting it. Receive correction as soon as you hear it in the Word, and you will be wise.
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Verse 13
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You will need to be compassionate to the needy if others will want to be compassionate towards you.
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Help others, and you will have help when you need it.
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Verse 17, 20
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You will not be able to keep wealth and use it in a godly way if you love luxury. But if you are godly in your desires and how you use your money, you will have an abundance.
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Do not seek or gain wealth to spend it on yourself or your own pleasures. Seek abundance to have greater means to serve others, and then you will be able to manage money well.
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Verse 25-26
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If your actions are lazy, your dreams and desires will only hurt and frustrate you. Why? Your lack of diligent work will keep your desires unfulfilled and your goals unmet. And “hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12).
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Laziness also is similar to covetousness. If you are lazy, you will often want what others have, but because of laziness, you won't be willing to put in the work to accomplish desires in a godly way.
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So if you want your desires to be fulfilled, make your desires about serving others, and work hard to achieve your goals.
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If you are selfless and work hard, God will honor your actions and bring you great satisfaction in life.
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Verse 30
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There is no such thing as wisdom that disagrees with the Word of God. Any supposedly good advice that is not supported in the Word is not good advice at all.
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Do not act on any counsel that doesn't agree with Scripture.
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And study the Word to find out what kind of advice agrees with God.
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