Is God Your Financial Adviser?

by Chuck Ness

When the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream, He said to him;

"Ask! What shall I give you?" 1 Kings 3:5

Solomon could have asked for anything his heart desired; wealth, women, slaves, victory in battle over all of God's enemies, or even a very long healthy life. Yet, he asked for none of those things. Instead, Solomon humbled himself and said to the LORD;

".....give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 1 Kings 3:9

Choose Wisely by Reading a Proverb A Day, Proverb 1

by Chuck Ness

The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. Through Solomon, God shared His Wisdom, and He made sure that no topic was left to question. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings. Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly. One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings. We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of appointing God fearing men in positions of power, we chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us. It is incumbent upon us to chose leaders who have faith in Christ, then and only then can we be assured that they will make wise decisions. Paul tells us that Christ is the Wisdom of God, so if you do not have Christ in your heart, it is impossible to make wise decisions. Instead our leaders continue to make decisions based upon man's wisdom. Yet we know that God uses foolish things to bring man's wisdom to shame. For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--and righteousness and sanctification and redemption-- that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.1Corinthians 1:26-31 Now of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. King Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel's mother wrote Proverb 31. Many scholars believe Lemuel was in fact a nick name Solomon's Mother, Bathsheba, gave him. If so, then Proverb 31 would have been written by Bathsheba. Solomon wrote over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs of Solomon that God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject, and no one can be sure of the dates. Other than to say that Solomon wrote most of the Proverbs in his younger years, and as he got older his many wives led him into idolatry. He did return in his late years, and that is when he wrote Ecclesiastes. Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.

Today is the 1st of the Month, so we begin with Proverb 1 (NKJV)

The Beginning of Knowledge

01 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:

02 To know wisdom and instruction,
00To perceive the words of understanding,
03 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
00 Justice, judgment, and equity;
04 To give prudence to the simple,
00 To the young man knowledge and discretion--
05 A wise man will hear and increase learning,
00 And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel,
06 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
00 The words of the wise and their riddles.

07 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
00 But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Shun Evil Counsel

08 My son, hear the instruction of your father,
00 And do not forsake the law of your mother;
09 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
00 And chains about your neck.

10 My son, if sinners entice you,
00 Do not consent.
11 If they say, "Come with us,
00 Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
00 Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
00 And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions,
00 We shall fill our houses with spoil;
14 Cast in your lot among us,
00 Let us all have one purse"--
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them,
00 Keep your foot from their path;
16 For their feet run to evil,
00 And they make haste to shed blood.
17 Surely, in vain the net is spread
00 In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood,
00 They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
00 It takes away the life of its owners.

The Call of Wisdom

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;
00 She raises her voice in the open squares.
21 She cries out in the chief concourses,
00 At the openings of the gates in the city
00 She speaks her words:
22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?
00 For scorners delight in their scorning,
00 And fools hate knowledge.
23 Turn at my rebuke;
00 Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
00 I will make my words known to you.
24 Because I have called and you refused,
00 I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25 Because you disdained all my counsel,
00 And would have none of my rebuke,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity;
00 I will mock when your terror comes,
27 When your terror comes like a storm,
00 And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
00 When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
00 They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
00 And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
00 And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
00 And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
00 And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
00 And will be secure, without fear of evil."

What Happened to The Virtuous Woman? Proverbs 31:10-31

Many women believe that their charm and beauty is what makes them the person who they are, yet as the proverb tells us,

Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised

Proverb30:30

Peter tells women;

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes--
rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

1 Peter 3:3-4

Some of the worst lies told today are that we are all the same. We are told that regardless of what plumbing you were born with, you can be whatever sex you so desire to be. The Bible is just a bigoted, homophobic, anti-woman book and Western religious values are stupid and wrong.

Plus, girls have been taught from kindergarten through college that men are just a bunch of stupid, boorish, vile creatures who only care about sex. Which is interesting since, the more liberated women gets, the more they want to be creatures who only care about sex themselves.

The effects of these lies on modern women has been devastating. They lead women into poor quality relationships, unhealthy eating and lifestyles, shacking up instead of marriage, many more women are victims of rape today than ever. This is especially a problem with attractive women, who are often times spoiled by their parents, by men, and by society, in general.

Beautiful young girls are given more breaks and end up in the most popular clubs, they end up pampered and praised for their beauty by being chosen for cheerleader teams while the popular most handsome boys who play sports pick them as their girlfriends in their teens. Even as they get close to graduating high school their parents shower them clothing that enhances their beauty, In college and adult life, their looks can open up doors for them to get jobs that less attractive women may not get, All the while the money and benefits that come with money makes the path for their future more bright just because the world classifies them as one of the beautiful people.

All this does not make their life easier, in reality, more times than not it is more harmful for these women, because it could make them more angry. How, few take them serious because of the easy ride they had, and they begin rejecting the idea that they are what you see, not what they are. This type of adoration though is not love, In so many women it only leads to unhappiness, depression and plenty of anger. Not to mention what it does to the psyche of the less good looking women of our society. The ones who go the extra mile, just to lose out to those who are automatically classified above them because of the looks dept.

Instead of a society of woman raised on the Word of God to be virtuous loving wives and nurturing mothers as spoken of in Proverb 30, we have raised a society full of angry women more aligned with the women of Proverbs 14:1 and 30:20;

The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands. Proverb 14:1

This is the way of an adulterous woman:
She eats and wipes her mouth
And says, "I have done no wickedness." Proverb 30:20

Proverb 31 (NKJV)

The Words of King Lemuel's Mother

01 The words of King Lemuel,
00 the utterance which his mother taught him:

02 What, my son?
00 And what, son of my womb?
00 And what, son of my vows?
03 Do not give your strength to women,
00 Nor your ways to that which destroys kings.

04 It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
00 It is not for kings to drink wine,
00 Nor for princes intoxicating drink;
05 Lest they drink and forget the law,
00 And pervert the justice of all the afflicted.
06 Give strong drink to him who is perishing,
00 And wine to those who are bitter of heart.
07 Let him drink and forget his poverty,
00 And remember his misery no more.

08 Open your mouth for the speechless,
00 In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
09 Open your mouth, judge righteously,
00 And plead the cause of the poor and needy.

The Virtuous Wife

10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
00 For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
00 So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
00 All the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
00 And willingly works with her hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
00 She brings her food from afar.
15 She also rises while it is yet night,
00 And provides food for her household,
00 And a portion for her maidservants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
00 From her profits she plants a vineyard.
17 She girds herself with strength,
00 And strengthens her arms.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is good,
00 And her lamp does not go out by night.
19 She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
00 And her hand holds the spindle.
20 She extends her hand to the poor,
00 Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
00 For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
22 She makes tapestry for herself;
00 Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates,
00 When he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
00 And supplies sashes for the merchants.
25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
00 She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
00 And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
00 And does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
00 Her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many daughters have done well,
00 But you excel them all."
30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
00 But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
00 And let her own works praise her in the gates.

Are You Cheerful Or Hesitant When You Give?

by Chuck Ness

Sometimes it's those with the least that give the most. Jesus used a widow's offering to teach a lesson of giving from the heart.

Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them;

The Way Human's Treat Animals Reveals Their Heart

by Chuck Ness

Back in 2013, two days after Christmas, I had to have our beloved 18 year old dog, Hershee, euthanize. Her kidneys had shut down and she was in so much pain she could not even settle down for more than five minutes at a time. So the merciful thing to do was to end her life.

It's easy to talk about it now, but at the time it was as if a member of our family had died. Maybe this should not be, I mean after all, she was just a dog. But, whether we choose to accept it or not, Hershee felt that she was one of us, and we treated her as if we would treat any member of our family. We were her "pack" so to speak, and I trust that she felt herself a valuable member of that pack. She ate good when we ate good, was happy when we were happy and always tried to do her part, even if it was just to bark and growl at people she didn't know.

The Penalty For Sexual Immorality Proverbs 5:11

by Chuck Ness

Today, more than at any other time in our society, our rejection of God’s moral standards has led to an epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases and infections. This commentary will be a devastating one about our society. It will show you how we have become no better than past societies of the Romans, Greeks, Babylonians, and yes those of Sodom and Gomorrah. I suggest you have a shower ready to scrub yourself clean after learning how truly disgusting our society has become.

As you look at the graph below, you can see that by the mid 1990's STDs started to rocket up. This is directly related to the leadership of the country. In 1992, when Bill Clinton became President. Clinton was an immoral man who eventually admitted he was having sex wioth Mionica Lewinski. The Clinton administration's attitudes on sex effected the nations immorality.

It was Bill Clinton's surgeons general, Joycelyn Elders who, in response to a psychologist who asked her whether "a more explicit discussion and promotion of masturbation could help slow the spread of AIDS". Her response told the World which direction the sexual standards of America was headed;

As per your specific question in regard to masturbation, I think that is something that is a part of human sexuality and it's a part of something that perhaps should be taught. But we've not even taught our children the very basics. (Joycelyn Elders Bill Clinton's Surgeon General)

It must be understood that throughout history, societies have always reflected the morality of their leaders. Look at the way bad Kings of Scriptures lead the nation into immorality, while Godly Kings led the nation back to GOD. Leaders always set the moral tone of the society they rule. In the graph above, the reason things continually skyrocketing under George Bush's leadership, was because he left the education system pretty much in control of the same people Bill Clinton had appointed. Then things just continued under President Obama.

With the push for women to be equal with men, men to be considered women, and for children to explore their sexual desires with whomever they so desire, we have now taken all segments of our societies down the dark path of sexual immorality that thrived in Sodom and Gomorrah. Is it any wonder that diseases which were once on the decline are now at record levels, with both women and children being effected the most. In October of 2019 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the staggering results of the leftist push for the, "Love who your with" ideology from k-College in our education system.

According to the annual Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance Report, STDs increased for the fifth consecutive year – with nearly 2.5 million combined cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. Cases of congenital syphilis – syphilis passed from a mother to her baby during pregnancy– increased 40 percent from 2017-2018. Congenital syphilis can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, newborn death, and severe lifelong physical and neurological problems. CDC

And you mourn at last,
When your flesh and your body are consumed, Proverbs 5:11-13

“thy flesh and thy body are consumed” And you groan at your final end,
When your flesh and your body are consumed; Proverbs 5:11

Consider the following tragic consequences of sexual immorality as reported by the American Sexual Health Association;

• More than half of all people will have an STD/STI at some point in their lifetime.
• Recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Infection show that there are 19.7 million new STIs every year in the U.S.
• The total estimated direct cost of STIs annually in the U.S. is $15.6 billion (2010 US dollars).
• Each year, one in four teens contracts an STD/STI.
• One in two sexually active persons will contract an STD/STI by age 25.

Hollywood has glamorized sexual sins, but there is no hiding the reality that there is nothing glamorous about where adultery will end—cries of regret and emotional self-flagellation.

And you groan at your final end, When
your flesh and your body are consumed; Proverbs 5:11

It's amazing that the Bible speaks of the results from permissive sexual sin in such terms. Our all knowing God warns us against a lifestyle that will utlimately consume our flesh and our body long before even modern day medical experts can detect you are infected. Also, interesting how scientists have come up with a pill for a woman to take so that if she has sex, she will not get pregnant. Yet there is no drug out there which could take before you have sex that would prevent you from getting any STDs.

It's sad that men and women have been ignoring warnings about the consequences of casual sex for generations after generations. Today, sexually transmitted diseases are as rampant in our societies as they were 2500 years ago, and the consequences are just as dangerous as they have always been for anyone who decides to the immorality revolution.

We are warned that if we engage in sexual immorality we will 'growl' at our latter end. The word used here speaks of a deep gutteral groan -a despairing sound that comes because someone has discovered too late that their sexual choices have come to destroy them. This groaning happens also because their glesh and body are consumed. The world mocks the church and the Word of God when we walk about such things.

In todays woke climate, if a Christian teacher dares to claim that AIDS, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and some 30+ other sexually transmitted diseases are a judgment of God upon sinners, they will probably be torn to shreds by the media, and sadly by many Christians as groups as well.

Like it or not, these diseases are God's judgments on man's illicit sexual choices. GOD warns us in Proverbs 5 and elsewhere in Scripture, that the consequences are inescapable if we choose to walk in rebellion to HIS precepts in the area of our sexuality. Now mind you, this is not a problem that is isolated in the big metropolitan areas of the country. This is a nation wide problem. Statistics prove that in many instances. the problems we face as a nation are even more pronounced in rural America.

So this is a warning to all Americans, that we must consider the risks we take by having promiscuous sex.We do so by heeding God's Words, and using His Wisdom to properly understand the consequences of our immoral behavior. Below is are medical facts abut just two types of STD's and their long term effects on a persons health.

• AIDS: Does its damage by attacking our immune system - making us weak and unable to fight disease. It's final stages make us prone to having numerous different cancers, pneumonia, skin diseases, as well as other diseases that attack various organs in our body.
• Syphillis: In its final stages causes paralysis, numbness in our bodies, blindness, as well as involuntary muscle movements that we cannot control. Worst of all is insanity which comes as our brains are systematically attacked by the disease.

It's just sex, right? Well these two sexually transmitted diseases will destroy your life. You can see what God was so serious when He warned that this type of rebellion will cost us our health. Even the secular scientists warn us about the consequences of sexual immorality. Oh that we would learn from these warnings concerning the medical consequences of walking contrary to God's prescepts when it comes to our sexual behavior.

Proverb 5 (NKJV)

Warning Against Immorality

01 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
00 Lend your ear to my understanding,
02 That you may preserve discretion,
00 And your lips may keep knowledge.
03 For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
00 And her mouth is smoother than oil;
04 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
00 Sharp as a two-edged sword.
05 Her feet go down to death,
00 Her steps lay hold of hell.
06 Lest you ponder her path of life--
00 Her ways are unstable;
00 You do not know them.

07 Therefore hear me now, my children,
00 And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
08 Remove your way far from her,
00 And do not go near the door of her house,
09 Lest you give your honor to others,
00 And your years to the cruel one;
10 Lest aliens be filled with your wealth,
00 And your labors go to the house of a foreigner;
11 And you mourn at last,
00 When your flesh and your body are consumed,
12 And say:
00 "How I have hated instruction,
00 And my heart despised correction!
13 I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers,
00 Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!
14 I was on the verge of total ruin,
00 In the midst of the assembly and congregation."

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
00 And running water from your own well.
16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad,
00 Streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be only your own,
00 And not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
00 And rejoice with the wife of your youth.
19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe,
00 Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
00 And always be enraptured with her love.
20 For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman,
00 And be embraced in the arms of a seductress?

21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD,
00 And He ponders all his paths.
22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man,
00 And he is caught in the cords of his sin.
23 He shall die for lack of instruction,
00 And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Biblical Lessons, Phylacteries, & Proverbs 3:1-4

by Chuck Ness

Today's chosen commentary is on Proverbs 3:1-4 which alludes to Deuteronomy 6:6-8. In this passage, God tells the people how they can be assured they will always keep the law. Like all things, it comes with repetition so that it will be trained into our memory. Something we are to diligently teach our children, so that when they get older the law will be always in the forefront of their consciousness. For us Christians, we too should raise our children to know the Scriptures as they know how to walk. Everyday is a time to learn something new about the things of Christ. Everyday is a chance to ensure their eternal Salvation and a place in heaven.

And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Deuteronomy 6:6-8

Many believe these Scripture references are where use of phylacteries among the Jews took rise. They were small leather boxes containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law. It was a case of contention with Jesus in that he chastised the Pharisees about. Now do not misunderstand me, Christ wasn't chastising them for the use of these phylacteries but rather for the way they went overboard in their attempt to act more righteous for wearing them, and for putting undo burdens upon the people they themselves truly would not follow.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and. Matthew23:25-28

The whole idea is that we should have the word of God in the forefront of out minds. We do this not by strapping boxes of Scripture onto our forehead or strapping the bible to our arms, but rather by studying and constant reading of the word so we are always reminded of what is right and what is wrong so that we are nor led astray by the world we live in. Like Jesus and His Disciples, who were all astute students as they grew up. Thus the truth was always in their hearts and minds so, like Jesus, they were always about their Fathers business, not getting distracted by the business of the world. Paul admonishes Timothy, and thus us all, to be good students of Scripture so we will always be ready. study the Word so we are ready.

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:14-15

This is why I emphasize the reading of a Proverb a day along with your normal reading and studying routine. We can never be too prepared for what lays ahead for us in this world. You never know when the Holy Spirit will lead another Christian our way who needs an answer to a problem they have about the Word or one who is stumbling in their walk, or even a contrarian about the truth. It is incumbent upon us to always be prepared in and out of season to share and defend the truth, and the only way is to be filled with the Spirit of God and gain all the Wisdom of God we can.

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2Timothy 4:1-5