The book of Proverbs is a guide for pursuing godly wisdom in our daily lives. In this four-week study, we will read a selection of topical proverbs covering different aspects of wisdom, from how to interact with our friends, families, and neighbors, to fearing God and keeping His commands. No matter the subject, these proverbs urge us to wrestle with and reflect on our own response to them. To help you better engage with the proverbs in this reading plan, we have provided you with a short introduction and reflection questions for each day.
Jesus says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44–45). Amos 5:15 reads, “Hate evil and love good.” One of the profound characteristics of a maturing Christ follower is a desire to live in the tension of hating evil while loving our enemies. In a way, this is the heart of the gospel: Christ came carrying an unwavering disdain for the sin at work in us while maintaining an unwavering love for us. We are also called to remain faithful and truthful keeping company with those who are reliable (Proverbs 25:19).
Reflection Questions:
How often would you say you are caught in an internal struggle between good and evil?
Read Proverbs 3:3. What does it mean to tie faithfulness around your neck and write it on the tablet of your heart?
Who are some faithful people in your life? If an unfaithful person is compared to a bad tooth or a busted foot (Proverbs 25:19), to what would you compare a faithful person?
Leave a Reply
32 thoughts on "Good and Evil, Faithfulness and Truthfulness"
A faithful person is like a strengthened muscle
It’s nearly constant, right? Our decisions involve our heart & motives, which need to be kept in check.
It means to keep them so close to be a constant reminder.
My parents have many faithful friends & it’s so comforting to know that some people don’t change and are able to just be steady & reliable while pursuing Christ.
A faithful person is healthy, reliable, and steady.
A faithful friend to me is like a hot pot of of caffeinated tea. They wake me up, expect me to be purposeful. A friend who calms the spirit, warmth the soul and and when my cups gets low they refill it.
I would compare a faithful person to a muscular athlete. Maybe an ancient marathon messenger of ancient times. The runner does not take care of his body and build it up for a competition, but for a purpose. Not for show and vanity but for a divine appointment.
Todd dulaney proverbs song write it on the tablet of your heart you are the potter lord i am the clay lord! Mold me and i must trust in you with all my heart!
To Paula Kline…thank you so much for all of your posts throughout this study. Your unique insight and wisdom has been so thought provoking and encouraging for me the past few weeks. I kept finding myself searching for your name just to see what you had to say about that day’s scripture. I love your honesty and humility and your love for the Lord!
(1) I would say I am caught in an internal struggle between good and evil everyday. Especially if I don’t spend time in the Word.
(2) To tie faithfulness around your neck and write it on the tablet of your heart to me means, always be loyal to God and live for Him not ourselves.
3) The people who are with me in dark times are the faithful people in my life. Whenever I am in need of something or them and they show up. Jesus is also a faithful person in my life. A faithful person is healing to the heart and soul.
Today more than all, is when we all need to look around and see where we need to remain faithful to God and to hold ourselves to an high standard knowing that the words of God are for us to read and live.
A faithful person is one who even when he or she is being put to the test, will hold to the words of God and live a godly life always.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God demonstrated faithful when he came to earth. He stayed true to what his father’s will was for him here on earth, He did not let the chaos of that day to distract him. He remained faithful to His mission.
I love the question prompts each day in this reading plan. Thank you She Reads Truth.!!
– Caught between good and evil? Daily!
– I think to tie it around our neck and write it on our heart is to make it who we are, show it on the inside and outside of who we are.
– A faithful person is like
– Honey, a healing balm- wrote this in my notebook from Taylor because I loved that!
– Strong joints that support you.
– Peace of a flowing river, soothing and constantly flowing!
3. Faithful friend is like a dentist or podiatrist on call for you always. Sorry ladies I couldn’t help myself.
To NHU. To think faith as large as a mustard seed could move that mountain of yours.
The internal battle of good and evil is not always clear and lots of time showing up as a blended gray. Seeking God’s guidance and wisdom will help to discern. May we have the strength and determination to project our faithfulness and loyalty to the Lord and to other people VISIBLY as a beautiful ornament on our neck and DEEPLY in our heart as it is part of us (“as a man thinks in his heart, so is he”). May we discern those who are in our company, to not trust wrongly in the “bad tooth” and “limping foot” in times of need. A faithful person to me is like a Rocky Mountain (for which I am blessed to have the view of within my city limit, when driving by I usually think God made this and He is even bigger than this), grand and majestic and cannot be moved. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust. The Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. Praise the name of the Lord.
I’m so thankful that I have a faithful husband and faithful friends.
Hanging on , at least for today, recognizing the tension of loving your enemies while hating evil. I have recently taken a step towards re investing in a relationship with my sister. I had to put up some boundaries for my own serenity during the election in an effort to not be pulled towards politics as my religion. For today, I will NoT once check my news app and focus on Christ and faithfulness.
Timely message today, so thankful for these words.
1) daily- the path to righteousness is narrow and we must 2) tie the loyalty and faithfulness around our necks so that we will be reminded constantly that God is forever faithful and in control. 3) I would compare the faithful person to the sunrise each morning- always comes in the morning with hope of a new chance to redeem yourself!!! Happy Friday ladies!! Love our group!!
Love the picture of the Daily Sun rise as an example of God’s faithfulness to us.
PAM K – So THANKFUL for prayers answered with your husband’s surgery! Thank you for the opportunity to pray along with you. Prayers continue for the recovery period.
THANKFUL for all the insightful comments here. They express my thoughts so well!
Rotten tooth/faltering foot – neither can be trusted with a challenge/trial ie.tough meat/rocky path. They represent people who can’t be trusted with helping us through a trial. The faithful person who can be trusted has JOY in the heart and feet firmly planted in the Gospel and offers strength and encouragement based on experience, faith, and wisdom.
Stay safe and well, ladies!
Searching- thanks for your prayers and support. It was good to bring my husband home yesterday and start focusing on recovery. Thanking the Lord for all He has done. I agree with so many of the comments here. We are called to be a light to the world, and these characteristics of integrity and faithfulness stand out. Taylor- I liked what you said about a faithful person- being like a healing balm or cold cup of water. Grateful for many examples in my life and ways God has shaped me to be that for others. I am challenged today to think how I can do better at faithfulness, in even little things.
Evil is all around us and a daily struggle we must hold tight to our heart faithfulness and loyalty
Well it’s talking about you giving steadfast love and living faithfully. Because you have free will, you have a choice not to love or live that way. It’s encouraging you to keep these ways ever before you so that these traits are not forsaken by you.
“3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.
Tie them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
with God and people.“
The reference of tablets makes me think of the 10 commandments being written in tablets of stone and how the people were called to follow these commands and yet how they struggled. Deuteronomy 11:18 talks about laying up Jesus’ words on our hearts – owning them – they become a part of us and that’s what I think we see here with loyalty and faithfulness. They should be part of our being and not just stone that we reference when it is convenient.
I think I am caught daily between Good and Evil. Something I think something I say. Snap judgment. I also think keeping faithful people around me lift me up. remind me that I am a child of God. It also helps me to help others in pain or turmoil. Faithful people are like a warm heating pad on a painful back they sooth you and make you feel good. I thank God for all my faithful friends.
1. Daily. I think that as long as we live in this fallen world we will experience this.
2. We should display faithfulness and truly live it each day. It should be something that is lasting, so we need to secure it by intentional pursuit.
3. I would compare the faithful to a warm fire and a joyful song. They are comforting and uplifting.
How often would you say you are caught in an internal struggle between good and evil?
Daily. Some days even hourly.
What does it mean to tie loyalty and faithfulness around your neck and write it on the tablet of your heart?
This question makes me think of DNA (not something I think about often) and how it’s literally written into our bodies and that we would not be able to survive or thrive without its sequencing. ….I think Loyalty and Faithfulness are like DNA…they are a part of us, an INTEGRAL part. We can’t survive or thrive without these virtues…and I don’t know about you, but I want to THRIVE in my relationship with God not just survive…
Who are some faithful people in your life? My parents are the most faithful people I know.
If an unfaithful person is compared to a bad tooth or a busted foot, to what would you compare a faithful person?
My best comparisons would be a deep strong root and a sure foot on a difficult path.
(1) How often would you say you are caught in a battle between good and evil? I think the True answer is every second of everyday. But I don’t experience it that way. I experience it more or less intensely at times. I think it’s a war to remain righteous… the enemy is SO TRICKY.
(2) What does it mean to write faithfulness on a tablet in your heart? I think it means our nature is to be unfaithful, to wander. Or maybe that the gravity of sin in this life is so intense it distorts us without diligent attention. But I think that writing faithfulness on our hearts is about being intentionally faithful. Setting our whole being toward it.
(3) Faithful people in my life. What would I compare them to? I actually think I have a great number of faithful people: my parents, my brother, Jackie, Seth, Aaron and probably even more. They show up for me. I would compare them to a safety net or a repelling line… they make this treacherous life much safer.
PAM K – thankful the surgery went well! We were in the same situation a few years ago and still all good. Most important is for him to treat the recovery process like it’s his job.
The struggle between good and evil – that is every day, ongoing, don’t let your guard down. Praying daily for the Lord’s guidance to make good choices and wise decisions. If I ever start to think I can do that on my own, that’s when it’s easy to start down the wrong path.
(1) How often am I caught in the tension between good and evil? Every. Single. Day!
(2) To tie faithfulness around my neck and write it on the tablet of my heart means (to me) to make it so engrained in who I am that that it is 1. visible to others and 2. impossible to separate from
(3) I have many faithful and unfaithful people in my life. If an unfaithful person is like a broken tooth or a lame foot, a faithful person is like honey, a healing balm, or a cold glass of water.
Happy Friday everyone! May the Lord bless you and keep you this weekend, may His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace <3 (Numbers 6:24-26 and the song The Blessing)
I find it a strange concept that love that is steadfast and faithfulness COULD leave you. If the love is steadfast and its the nature of faithfulness to remain, then that they could leave me is a bit unnerving!
Loyalty. Faithfulness. Honesty. Integrity. These sometimes seem in short supply in our society. However, they are to be characteristics of the righteous. They are values to cultivate. May we model these because of Whose we are.