Proverbs 20:5-11 – The Goodness of God
Verse 5 – Only God can see and read the hearts of men. But the more we grow in Godliness, through His Word and prayer, the more we will grow in the understanding of the basic heart attitudes and purposes of men and women. God’s Word can teach us what men and women are really like, and so we will see it around us.
Verse 6 – How often have you claimed to have unfailing love of Christ? Do you practice a false humility so that others will be quick to assure you of your worth? Do you take care to let others know the good things you have done? We are all quick to point out directly or indirectly the good work we are doing. But are we really faithful? Are we in the Word and prayer? Are we putting God first in our lives? Are we loving others as we love ourselves? Despite all our boasts, are we faithful?
Verse 7 – Godly mothers and fathers are a blessing from God to their children. Not only are they good parents, their faithfulness in bringing up their children to know and serve God will be blessed. It’s never too late to start being a Godly parent, or to thank God for those who were.
Verses 8-11 – If a good king can sort through evil and good, how much more can a good God. We can’t make ourselves clean, we can’t stop sinning, we can’t erase our past sins. None of us are without sin. God is a God of justice and perfection. He will not call evil good and good evil. He will not wink at sin. His measure is fearfully accurate – perfection or death. And just as a child is known by their actions, our sinful hearts give us away every time. This is why we need the perfect sinless Saviour to pay our penalty and to credit our account with His holy and perfect life.
Questions
- How can we understand people better?
- Can we purify our lives?
- Why do we need Christ?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for what Christ has done for you.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.