Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Episode 570: In this episode, we delve into Proverbs 16, where we explore themes of wisdom, humility, and the importance of aligning our actions with God's will. We discuss several key verses, including the idea that while we can make our plans, it is ultimately the Lord who determines our steps. This leads to a deeper conversation about the nature of success and the necessity of committing our actions to God.
Whether you’ve been following Jesus for years or you’re just starting to ask questions, there’s a seat for you here.
Join Jeff and Chris for honest conversations about Scripture, faith, and the everyday stuff we all navigate. With humor, personal stories, and plenty of back-and-forth, The Bible Guys explore what the Bible says and how it connects to your life.
Subscribe, bring your questions, and get to know the Bible one conversation at a time. Head over to TheBibleGuys.com for more information!
You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun, in practical ways. Chris, you're doing such a good job today, you so, are you? Yeah, we're ahead of a schedule. Not ahead, but on time. We're kind of we're well, we started late, we started late, but. Guess we are ahead then killing it. That's good. You're really good at this. Good for us, you're getting good at this. It only took me five hundred and sixty. Nine episodes, but this is five to seventy. Oh well, you know we've not done this one. Jeh, finally job. Okay, okay, okay, sorry. So hey, welcome to the Bible Guys. He's Jeff and I'm Chris. Okay, I'll be Jeff today. That's the character I'm playing. Okay, are you? Are you going to introduce the segment? I am going to introduce it. And this is everybody's favorite episode. And last week we were nice to you being Thanksgiving and all. Yes, so now that it's December and the season of giving, we have to give the people what they want. That's it's not true. It is well, we had protests last week over this this is not true. It was nearly a riot last week. Hasn't even as an area. Yeah, well that's so. Here's the question. What made Chris mad this week? Yes, and this has been the week of previews, because you've already hinted it. Well, I'll tell you what. It's pretty rare that I give people a preview. But a couple of podcasts ago. If you're a consistent listener, because a lot of people they listen randomly. Right, But earlier this week, probably like three days ago, I had made reference to something in my neighborhood. I have more to the story, however. Okay, so set the scene. Here's the scene we have. You're walking through a neighborhood in Troy on a street. Okay, So I live in Troy, Michigan, and it's a it's a nice city. Troy, Michigan is known to be a very nice city. It's known. It's known. If you don't know, now you know it is known. And so in our neighborhood is a little bit older. Yes, that's sure, that's true. Established, it's established. It has big trees. But anyway, this guy who kept an impeccable house, okay, like and. By the way. It just seems like. There's another thing that makes. Me mad is that is that people have moved on my street, and then people who have moved in have not taken care of their homes like the people who used to live there. And so when I moved onto this street, people had impeccable lawns and you know, property value and all that stuff. I've become the old man on the street, for sure. And so I think almost everybody has changed over except for my two neighbors on either side. We're the only common denominator on my whole street. Everybody else has changed, okay. And so anyway, this house that used to be impeccable gets bought by this family and immediately they have weeds. In their lawn. It's their unmowed. You know, it goes, it goes. You know, it's just terrible. But here's the thing that made me mad the most. They hang their Christmas lights up and leave them up all year. They've only been they've only been there for a year. They hung up their Christmas lights and they left them so all summer long, I'm taking walks through the neighborhood and I'm looking up and it's and it's not like they're the nice Christmas lights, not the led ones that are really you know, like they could be hidden, right, they're the icicle lights that hang down like two and a half feet. And to make matters worse. And you don't even approve of those just in general, just in general principle. If you hang ice icicle lights nineteen ninety one cult and they want their outdated yucky. Lights, wow, okay, yeah, and then only that. But they droop them, which means they didn't even like hang them correctly. They're hung in a nasty fashion and and they're and they're hung all year long. Now they don't turn them on, thank goodness, but they're but there's still just. An isol take them down. Yeah, it's redneck to the Instagram. So anyway, I just think that they're prepared. No, they're they're lazy pieces of garbage. Wow, who are Here's and here's here's what makes me even more mad. It turns out I metha and like they're the nicest people on. The planet, but they're still pieces of garbage. Only in their lighting. Practices as humans people as humans, they're great, they're pieces of garbage with their lighting. So here's the thing. That's just guess when I met them at church No d during trick retreat. So trick retreat, they come over and I just literally just met them for the first time, which, by the way, me not going over to their house and welcoming them, that means I'm a piece of garbage. But they live like four houses up. So anyway, he comes over and he knocks, and they say trick or treat. Well, they're Indian. They're an Indian family. It's two dads, a bunch of kids and the two dads, I'm assuming the women were probably given out candy because their light was on and so. But they have their sories on because that was Dwally. Okay, so I said, to the Hindu Hindu celebration. So they had their dress and their sorries, and so I say, they said, oh, great costume, because we go all out every year. We dressed up like the Wizard of Oz. They go, great costume. I said, oh, I go, this isn't for Halloween. I said, I said, dressed up for Dwally and and they looked at me. You know, they knew I was joking, and they go, they go, you know, of Dwale and I said yes, I said, I go, I like your sories, and they go, that's wonderful. And then they introduced themselves. Hey, my name is blah blah blah blah, and so we get to meet them. Man, they're wonderful people, which makes me even madder because it would be easier if they were people that I could really just be mad at. But now I've met them and they're wonderful people. So maybe they just don't know that you're supposed to take down your lights for Christmas. Seriously, you live in Come on, bro, I don't care where you're from. You can come directly going to be nice, to be nice. You can come directly from your country, and you'd still know that you need to take down your lights. Okay, So I'm even more mad that they're nice people. That they're nice. I'm mad okay. And by the way, if you're listening online and you think that it's okay to keep your lights up all year long, I got to tell you something. You are the problem with America. The single source of all of the problems in America. I'd try to come up with the heart. Okay, Wow, my wave is mad at me. For this episode. Yeah, she's magazum saying extreme things. By the way, I don't mean any of those things. Whoa pieces of garbage? I'm just kidding. Yeah, okay, I just don't even know where to go from there. Okay, well, okay, take away, So let's find a good transition. Take away my harshness. And do you at least agree with the principle that a person should not keep their lights up? Yes? I agree with that principle. Okay, yes, but you leave me on my island of. Hearts, leave you there on that one. Okay, Yes, yeah, I should. I should I rerecord it? No, I love it. I love it because we could stop and rerecord. No, no, oh no, we're not covering this sin up at all. We're just gonna leave it out there for everybody. Is dramatic. I'm more strong. Well, the title is called what made Chris Mad This week? Yes, and the last. Few have been a little week. I still they've been. They've been a little namby pamby. So this one is your went all in. You pushed all your tips in the middle of the table and went, you're taking a stand against people who leave up their Christmas lights. And I called them pieces of garden. Well there's that part. Hey, so which I did not mean. No, hold to it. You said it, hold it own, it own those words, Chris, I said, it's for funniness, and then they're nice people. It turns out it's so nice. Yeah, it was just too harsh. Yeah, it wasn't too harsh. So speaking of me detesting something so strongly, yes, Proverb sixteen has multiple mentions of the Lord detesting certain things as well. And kings. Yes, yes, how the Lord happens to be king. That was close. It's a good transition. Yeah, Okay, we've been going for if you're listening, we've been trying to think of the cheesiest transitions. Yes, yes, that we can think of. So here we go. Proverbs chapter sixteen, Verse one. We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. I love that verse. There's another one in here too. This is the same chapter or verse nine. We can make our plans, but Lord de terms our steps. I like that those two favor I agree. Okay number two. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Based on that last segment, I thought maybe I could read that again. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Should we recruit Nope, You're stuck with it. Now commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. The Lord has made everything for his own purposes, even though wicked. For the day of disaster, the Lord detests the proud. They will surely be punished. Unfailing love and faithfulness makes atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. When people's lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with him. Better to have little with godliness than to be rich and dishonest. We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. The King speaks with divine wisdom. He must never judge unfairly. The Lord demands accurate scales and balances, and he sets the standards for fairness. A king detests wrongdoing, for his rule is built on justice. I think the prerequis there is a good king, right sure, the anger of the king is a deadly threat. The wise will try to appease it. When the king smiles, there is life. His favor refreshes like a spring rain. How much better to get wisdom than gold? And good judgment than silver. The path of the virtuous leads away from evil. Whoever follows that path is safe. Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud. Those who listen to instruction will prosper, and those who trust the Lord will be joyful. The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive. Discretion is a life giving fountain to those who possess it, but discipline is wasted on fools. From a wise mind comes wise speech. The words of the wise are persuasive. Kind words are like honey, sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death. Didn't we just read that same verse? Yeah, yeah, it's kind of a repeat. Obvious the highlight if people need to hear that Gues's right. It is good for workers to have an appetite, and empty stomach drives them on. Oh wow. Scoundrels create trouble. Their words are a destructive blaze. A troublemaker plants seeds of strife. Gossip separates the best of friends, violent people mislead their companions, leading them down a harmful path. With narrow eyes, people plot evil with a smirk. They plan their mischief. Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained by living a godly life. Better to be patient than powerful, better to have self control than to conquer a city. We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. I love that one. That's great. Ye, these are great ones. I like these ones. Yeah, these are really clever. And by the way, for the first time since I could ever remember ever, you actually skipped a verse? Did I skip a verse? Yeah, you've skipped first thirteen that says the king is pleased with words from righteous lips. He loves those who speak honestly. Oh yeah, I wound up saying I gave the caveat of yes, it's a good king. That's what you did. Yeah, because because you said you said it's a good king, and then you picked up with verse fourteen. Right, So wow, well thank you for catching that. Well, you know, the people who are watching on video are the only ones that would have really probably known it. And I'm humble enough to accept your correction. Yes, well, it's not a person. It's not a correction, it's just and then them. Yeah. So so anyway, there's a lot in here, and. I want to jump on one. Have you ever noticed how much my hair is getting gray? Have you ever noticed so much grey? It didn't used to me this way? Right? Where did that come from? Verse thirty one says gray hair is a crown of glory. It's gained by living a god life. Oh there, and I recognize you have almost no gray hair. Oh my goodness, gracious, you got it your hair to be kidding me? Well, you know what it doesn't say on the head, it's ye beard my crown. I don't know you wear crowns on your chin. Hey, listen on your hair. You've done it to yourself. Now. My beard is way more white than your hair is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, but way more wisdom. If you want to wear your crown on your chin, that's fine with me. Oh it doesn't. I just I just, I just I just think that some people cover up their godly No. I see, I do not dye my hair. Something I do not die my hair? Is that your That's not true? By the way, I've had people ask that, People say, how are you fifty three and you don't have any, you know. Gray hair, And I said, I do. If you look close a little bit, you can see. And they say, well, how how is that? All my brothers are white. They're all like like white white hair. Well, you have to be godly to get gray hair. That's what the verse says. Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained by living a godly life. I see, I see, do you see? So I was just gonna mention it. You know what it means. I figured. I figured I couldn't lose on this tax because either you're going to say you never die your hair or you die your hair. If you said you died your hair, I was going to be able to say, well, you're covering up your godliness right right, you're faking it. And then the other side was if you say you never die your hair, then the only way you can get it is by living a godly life. But you also I read that and immediately thought that's a win win for me. Hey, I think it's referring to longevity, like those who those who live godly or prosper prosperous with a long life, which means eventually my hair will get gray. And so the longer you live, the grayer you get, which means that you've lived. A godly life and God is blessing you with longevity. Yeah. Yeah, if you want to jump through the hoops. But the words on the page say what they say, I also say. I also like the verse thirty three. This is a surprise to people. We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. Yeah, and make your plans and watch God laugh. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So this idea is casting lots, you know. And it's not that God is behind all of your gambling winnings. That's not that's saying. What they would do sometimes is when people couldn't make a decision, they would draw a number, they'd roll of the dice, they'd draw sticks. And they'd ask God to reveal to them. Right right, God, just just show us what we're supposed to do. We're not sure what we're supposed to do, right right, You show us what to do. And so even in what would seem like the simplest thing, you know, rock paper scissors kind of a thing, or you know, drawing straws or whatever, and there's a certain amount of peace in that. Have you ever it says the lot fell on Jonah. Yeah, yeah, well they cast lots for Jesus clothes at the crucifixion, so that that was a common thing. But what I was gonna say is, have you ever sat down? Or have you ever got into a game or something people want to argue over whose turn it is or whatever? But how much simpler is it when you just spin a dial and the and everybody terms ahead of time before any decisions are made. Highest number starts and then we go yeah, yeah, the highest number of starts you spin it, it ends on five. Nobody else gets a six, so you get to go right. But if you got a one and somebod else gets five, oh rats, But you're not mad at anybody. It just didn't work out for you. There's some benefit in choosing neutral ways to begin a thing when others might feel like there was a benefit for them starting first right, And so you can choose a peaceful way. And then when it comes to the really difficult decisions, the Lord determines how they fall anyways, And so even on a little thing, God can sort things out for you. So there's some wisdom in leaving a little bit of randomness to difficult decisions when there's a disagreement between two ways. Instead of you don't always have to fight, you could, literally, instead of fighting over a restaurant, say okay, right, heads your tails, heads your tails, right, tuple coin Yep, yeah, it's just it's wise, That is what I'm saying. You wouldn't think it was wise, but it's wise. Yeah, Batman's enemy two face. They make decisions, but flipping coins. So you stack the deck and have the same you know, heads on both sides. Right, heads on both sides right. So unfailing love and faithfulness make a tone for sin. Fearing the Lord people people avoid evil. Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. So I've always heard that, you know, there are consequences for sin. Some of them are spiritual consequences, right obviously with God, with their heavenly father. But then some are earthly consequences. And so we could break relationships for you know, by our choices. And have you ever heard this when when you have a child that is mad at you, or a family member that is mad at you for a very long period of time, have you ever heard of this advice you need to serve your way back in. Have you ever heard that it's your lives? Yeah, just serve your way back in. So I'm estranged from my child, right, I'm a strange from my parents, Just to continually, over time, serve your way back in. And unfailing love and a faithful and faithfulness will make atonement for sin. And uh. And the the advice that I heard from a pastor saying that came from this verse and said and said like, yes, unfailing love and faithfulness can can fail our relationship with our heavenly father, Right, it makes atonement for our sin. And but but when it comes down to our earthly relationships, the same is true. And I've just never forgotten that. You know, how how you can just be faithful with your love and your service and just serve them until eventually you become more known for serving them than you do for the offense. Right, So it's really good. It may take some time, right, Yeah, that's really good, really good phrase. Yeah. The verses along the lines of verse three commit your actions to the Lord. Your plans will succeed. I'm always attracted to the verses in the Bible that talk about how to succeed and he's saying, commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. It amazes me how often people will ask me to pray that God will bless something that's bad, right, And I'm like, really, right. So, So the more mature you become spiritually, the more aware you are that, Hey, if I'm going to pray for something, it should be something that God would do himself. If Jesus wouldn't do it, I shouldn't be praying that I could do it, right, right, Hey, would would you come and uh bless the apartment I'm moving into with my boyfriend, right right? That kind of stuff. Uh well, if you can't imagine Jesus moving in with his girlfriend, right, then maybe we shouldn't or or it's just stuff like that. Hey. Uh. I had a guy ask me, genuinely asked me to pray that he would hit the lotto because he has no other options, right, So and and I was like, WHOA, let's let's be careful with that one, right and and and I'm not saying that he's a bad person. I'm just saying, man, there's there's a either and this is somebody been a Christian for a long time, it seemed like, but uh, there is something about commit your actions to the Lord. They have to be actions that are worthy of beingmitted to the Lord, and then your plans will succeed. It's not just throwing up a prayer and going, hey, God, I'm gonna give this to you, could you make it work out for me? Because it has to be the kind of action God would do. It has to be the kind of action that should be committed to God. Then your plans will succeed. You know what's so interesting. The two examples you used are like huge cans of worms. People are gonna be like, what do you mean is it wrong to buy a lottery ticket? One seeing a lotterer ticket for dollars? That what you're saying? No? And then and then the other one is living with your boyfriend, and there are people are legitimately are like, what that's bad? Like living to your boyfriend? Why is that bad? Where's the command in the Bible? Those are two massive cans of worms. Yeah, there's there's a lot of commands in the Bible about that, right, But yeah, I would say that when it comes to honoring the Lord, the longer you walk with God and the more you know his words. The more Solomon says, you're going to walk away from the bad choices and you're going to do the right things. So when you read this phrase commit your actions to the Lord and your plans to succeed, it sounds like if you just tell God this is what you're about to do, He's going to always make it succeed. And that's that's not true, right right. What he's saying is they have to be the kinds of actions that you would legitimately, through God's word, be able to say, Okay, these are the kinds of things God blesses, right. And so there's wisdom and even choosing the right actions, and then you give those wise actions to God and he will make your plans succeed. So it's way more complex than just the surface. And what I was trying to point out is every one of these proverbs are far more complex than just the surface of the word right, right. And so I want to make two definitive statements because I'm a person who doesn't like can of worms. So so number one is that I believe wholeheartedly with my entire heart that if you approach a marriage relationship God's way, which is reserving sex for marriage, which would include the whole living together and the appearance of evil and everything else. And if and if I you know, I have two daughters, and so my advice to them would be, if you approach a relationship God's way, it has and by the way, this has proven statistics. Right, It's not just it's not just a theory. This is every study ever ever done, ever right. The chances of staying together longer, healthier, happier, are are better tremendously exponentially when done God's way. Right, So when somebody, when somebody does it, so, so I would advise against all of that. So I agree with you. So while while while you. Can debate all day long about economy and living together cheaper and everything else, when it comes to the way that God designed a relationship both physically and emotionally, when done God's way, God will bless it and you'll stay together, and the chances of success or exponentially maybe even times one hundred. I mean like it's it's I've heard studies before where it's where they're unbelievable. It's in like the ninety percentile right, when done, when done God's way, And then and then the other statement about the gambling is the Bible calls gambling unwise, right, So, so I personally don't. Believe that betting a dollar is a sin. I believe, I believe just like taking a tiny sip of alcohol isn't a sin. But the abuse of alcohol, the Bible talks about that being drunk, being you know, all those kinds of things. So the abuse of gambling or you know, gambling resources, you know, if you're betting a dollar, but there's difference in betting your rent, right, right, So anyway. Some people don't have the ability to differentiate between the two. Correct, it becomes. Why it is unwise. The Bible literally calls it unwise, right, So best to avoid, best to avoid unwise things altogether. Right. So anyway, so the verse seventeen kind of goes along those lines. The path of the virtuous leads away from evil, not towards evil, right right, And whoever follows that path is safe. So we make safe choices, and we that's what a wise person does. Right. So here Salomon is not talking about when when Salem talks about wise people and foolish people, he's not talking about people on their way to heaven and people not on their way to heaven all the time. Right, He's just talking about a wise person avoids the things that could take them in the wrong direction, right, and a foolish person runs to those things right. Right. But then when it comes to committing your actions to the Lord, those kinds of actions and your plans will succeed. That sounds like a generic promise that everything you give to God he will make succeed. That's not true, right, It has to align with God, the wisdom of God's word, and in obedience with what He's already said. And if so, then your plans will succeed. Yeah. And one last thing, I know it's our time, but verse over nineteen. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud, you know, And it says that so many times it talks about it talks about better to be an organ a person with a servant than to be a self important person. You know, the idea of like pride and and unrighteous. You know, if you're a person who compromises character for wealth in any way, shape or form, the Bible warns against. That, over and over and over and over. Right, it is better to be poor and to live with integrity and and and to live with godliness than it is to be rich and to have so much strife and on godliness in your home. So so the goal would be, of course, live live godly and humbly, and then just trust in God's ways and then God will make you prosper right, Let God do it. So, so don't try to gain wealth, prosperity and self importance and power and prestige by yourself. Let God give it to you. Yeah, so that's. Great, fantastic, yes, And so hopefully we will see you next time. I can't believe I'm leaving. My wife hates that opening segments. My wife is so mad. Said, he's a really nice guy. Just want him to straighten his lights. That's correct, all right, So hopefully I'm still regretting it. We'll see you next time. On the Bible collage, h