Verse 1, 9, 33
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Verses 1, 9. Man has the free will to think and make choices; but God controls the outcomes of those choices—how He will use our choices for His purposes.
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We can learn something here about the balance of our free will and God's sovereignty. Nothing is out of God's control (Ephesians 1:11).
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He even guides our words and thoughts as He sees fit (Proverbs 21:1).
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Remember that no matter what you do or say, God's plan will succeed (Proverbs 19:21). This understanding will give you rest.
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Verse 33. Luck does not exist. Even things that we think are random chance are actually determined by God. Trust God with everything that occurs!
Verse 3
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Your thoughts will be right and your plans will succeed if you do everything to honor God.
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Make sure that your motive in everything is to bring glory to God, and you will be able to think and set goals that will lead to good things.
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Verse 4
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Even wicked people serve God's purposes, and their damnation will glorify God in the end (Romans 9:22-23). Remember this so that you do not fear sinners in the world.
Verse 5
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People who are prideful, even if they work as a team, will always fall.
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Stay humble, and do not work together with people who are prideful. Their pride will bring failure to you also.
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Verse 6
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You will be more motivated to turn away from sin if you deeply fear God.
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Study/learn about God's judgment, and the fear of God, and this will help you greatly to repent from sin.
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Verse 9
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You have permission to plan to do anything that you desire, but know that God will direct your actions so that His will is done in your life, whether that means success or failure for you.
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You can have greater assurance that you plans will succeed if you plan to do what pleases God (see verse 3).
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Verse 10
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As a person in authority or leadership, your words will often be taken as divine words. Therefore, you must be very careful about what you say, to ensure that your words are accurate. You do not want people to be led astray because they confidently followed your teaching or counsel but to their own hurt.
Verse 11
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It's a simple principle. Be honest and fair with your payments and/or business transactions, and you will be doing God's work. If you're a seller, be honest about what you're charging. If you're an employer, give your workers a fair wage that's worthy of their labor.
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Our money is such an important tool for God's kingdom that a wise use of our money is considered a work of God in and of itself! Remember this!
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Verses 14-15
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Be sure to keep good relationships with people in authority. This will be a great advantage to you. (Proverbs 19:12).
Verse 16
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Always prioritize growing your education in the Word of God. This will be of greater value than mere financial gain.
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If you have free time, it is a great idea to use it to study to grow your knowledge and wisdom!
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Verse 17
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The less sin you have in your life, the more your path in life will be clear of problems.
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For fixing problems in your life, always consider how you can improve your own actions.
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Verse 20
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If you listen closely to the Word of God, you will always find what you need in it.
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Don't just skim over the Word when you read it. Think about it deeply.
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This will encourage your faith to grow. And when you have faith in God, you will have greater joy.
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Verse 21
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If you grow your wisdom in the Word, people will want to listen to you more; your speech will be sweet and persuasive to them.
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And people will learn more from you when your words carry the wisdom of God's Word. Focus on the Word always!
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Verse 23
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The more of God's Word you have in your heart, the better you will be at arranging your words and speaking to others.
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Remember to focus on the Word if you want to be better with your words!
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Verse 26
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Our own hunger helps motivate us to work. But remember that if you only work to fulfill your own needs and desires, you will never be truly satisfied with your work.
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Work not only to feed yourself and your family, but work because you want to be a greater help and resource to others (Ephesians 4:28). This is greater!
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Verse 28
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Never gossip or whisper negative things about people, whether to others or even in your own thoughts. This harms relationships. Also do not spread personal information you received from another person unless they say openly that it's not private. Assume that a person is speaking to you in confidence if the information is personal or sensitive.
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Our words can spread in ways that we did not expect or think possible (Ecclesiastes 10:20), so be careful!
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Don't intend to harm anyone's reputation (Titus 3:2).
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Verse 31
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Age only has beauty if it is coupled with godly character.
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Do not wait until you're older before godliness will be important to you. Make godliness important right now, and you will age and mature well!
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Verse 32
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It is better to have self-control than to have a lot of physical power. Having power over your own impulses and cravings is the greatest kind of strength. Being self-controlled will show greater intelligence also (Proverbs 14:29).
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Prioritize disciplining yourself and building self-control if you want to be known as strong and wise.
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You can do this by denying what the flesh wants: a stricter diet, fasting, exercise, harder work, and any form of repentance.
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