A God-loyal life

A God-loyal life is a full life. It is the life with most potential. God illuminates every step, you don’t need to stay in darkness. We tend to magnify the benefits of wealth and fear the consequences of financial shortage, but your financial situation will not make your life good or bad. You can be good or bad despite of your financial situation. Having a good or bad life still depends on your relationship with God. 

Finally, the verse 10 warns us against know-it-all attitude. Humility and being teachable leads you to wisdom and gives you the right attitude that will allow God to work with you and in you.

   

A God-loyal life keeps you on track;

   sin dumps the wicked in the ditch.

7 A pretentious, showy life is an empty life;

   a plain and simple life is a full life.

8 The rich can be sued for everything they have,

   but the poor are free of such threats.

9 The lives of good people are brightly lit streets;

   the lives of the wicked are dark alleys.

10 Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord,

   but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.

(Prov.13:6-10 MSG)

Prayer: You bright my life with your presence and wisdom. Your words opens my eyes and let me see the truth. Your power and wise counsel protect me from sin. Wealth or poverty will not define me, You do. You are my God in all situations. Your presence is the most important thing in life. Nothing escapes You.

Excellence takes hard work

To have a good life, first you need to learn to control your ego. Learn to listen, be able to obey the experienced people. Be open to helpful conversation. Watch your mouth. Don’t be lazy, most valuable things in life take hard work. Learn to discipline yourself to accomplish what is good and healthy. God created you for excellence. Don’t aim at anything less than that.

Intelligent children listen to their parents;

   foolish children do their own thing.

2 The good acquire a taste for helpful conversation;

   bullies push and shove their way through life.

3 Careful words make for a careful life;

   careless talk may ruin everything.

4 Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;

   the energetic have something to show for their lives.

5 A good person hates false talk;

   a bad person wallows in gibberish.

(Prov.13:1-5 MSG)

Prayer: I want to listen and acquire a taste for helpful conversations. Make me sensitive to other people’s feelings and needs. Give me the courage to be honest, humble and merciful. Be at the center of all my conversations and my Your name be glorified in everything I do. I love You, my God and my Savior.

A godly character

To develop a godly character is not only for God’s pleasure (which it is because He wants the best for you), it benefits yourself and everybody around you too. Following the good ways of God brings joy to your life, it makes you strong to endure any evil situation. God will be beside you all the time. You will develop prudence, diligence, a cheerful speech, a good character, and self discipline. God will guide you in life to be the best you can be.

Evil scheming distorts the schemer;

   peace-planning brings joy to the planner.

21 No evil can overwhelm a good person,

   but the wicked have their hands full of it.

22 God can’t stomach liars;

   he loves the company of those who keep their word.

23 Prudent people don’t flaunt their knowledge;

   talkative fools broadcast their silliness.

24 The diligent find freedom in their work;

   the lazy are oppressed by work.

25 Worry weighs us down;

   a cheerful word picks us up.

26 A good person survives misfortune,

   but a wicked life invites disaster.

27 A lazy life is an empty life,

   but “early to rise” gets the job done.

28 Good men and women travel right into life;

   sin’s detours take you straight to hell.

(Prov.12:20-28 MSG)

Prayer: Jesus, only with your strength I can be what you expect me to be. Help me to work for peace, to be strong during evil situations, to keep my word, to be prudent when talking, to be diligent in my work, to have a cheerful speech, to exercise discipline, and to follow a good direction in my life.

Your words...

Your words are very powerful. You can use them to build or to destroy. The effects are long lasting. You have to choose which direction you want your speech to go. Jesus said that “...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt.12:34). It follows that it is not only your mouth you have to check, it is your heart too. What you allow yourself to think it will eventually come out in some form (words or actions). And what you allow yourself to say it will also influence your thinking. It is a cycle that needs the constant healing power of God. Ask for it. Allow Him to work in you.

Truthful witness by a good person clears the air,

   but liars lay down a smoke screen of deceit.

18 Rash language cuts and maims,

   but there is healing in the words of the wise.

19 Truth lasts;

   lies are here today, gone tomorrow.

(Prov.12:17-19 MSG)

Prayer: I want to be truthful. Help me to be transparent, clean, honest. Put encouraging and healing words in my mouth. I need to learn to tame my tongue so it will build others. I know I can use my words to bless myself, my environment, my relationships, and people around me. Guide me to make a wise use of my mouth.

Gossip!

How destructive gossip can be! It destroys your own reputation (people know that if you can bring other people's stuff to them, you can certainly take their stuff to others too). It destroys the trust people had put in you. It damages your relationships. Destroys the reputation of others. It shows disrespect to other people's privacy. And finally, it shows disrespect to the image of God in people. Don't talk too quickly, and be sure to use wise speech that edifies others. Build and don't destroy. If you are not sure what to say, don't say it!

The gossip of bad people gets them in trouble; the conversation of good people keeps them out of it. Well-spoken words bring satisfaction; well-done work has its own reward. Fools are headstrong and do what they like; wise people take advice. Fools have short fuses and explode all too quickly; the prudent quietly shrug off insults.
(Prov. 12:13-16 MSG)

Prayer: Let me be involved in healthy and edifying conversations. Help me not to be headstrong but teachable. Developed prudence in me, so that I will not react and explode too quickly to insults, but contribute to other people's progress in life

Holding together

Rebellion against God destroys you, your home, your relationships, your work environment and your future. To avoid this obvious turn of events you have to guard your heart and watch your speech, which is just an exteriorisation of what you think. Your speech can kill or save. Your decisions influences you and everybody, even animals near you.    

The words of the wicked kill;

   the speech of the upright saves.

7 Wicked people fall to pieces—there’s nothing to them;

   the homes of good people hold together.

8 A person who talks sense is honored;

   airheads are held in contempt.

9 Better to be ordinary and work for a living

   than act important and starve in the process.

10 Good people are good to their animals;

   the “good-hearted” bad people kick and abuse them.

11 The one who stays on the job has food on the table;

   the witless chase whims and fancies.

12 What the wicked construct finally falls into ruin,

   while the roots of the righteous give life, and more life.

(Prov.12:6-12 MSG)

Prayer: May my roots stay in You always, Oh God, for Your glory, for my own benefit and the benefit of everybody around me. Give me humility, perseverance, and kindness. Give me a speech that produces life and talk sense. Bless my home with health and unity.

Life rooted in God

If you delight of God, you will attract good people to your life. Your most dear relationships will be positively affected. Of course there will be some that don’t like order, or justice, or beauty. But you will be able to influence others. Your attitude will edify others, your company will invigorate your loved ones. God work in you will become evident to the ones around you. God’s love moves us toward loving people.  

If you love learning, you love the discipline that goes with it—

   how shortsighted to refuse correction!

2 A good person basks in the delight of God,

   and he wants nothing to do with devious schemers.

3 You can’t find firm footing in a swamp,

   but life rooted in God stands firm.

4 A hearty wife invigorates her husband,

   but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.

5 The thinking of principled people makes for justice;

   the plots of degenerates corrupt.

(Prov.12:1-5 MSG)

Prayer: Move me oh God. Move me to correction, to discipline. I want to stand firm rooted in You. I want to invigorate my loved ones. I want Your light to shine upon me and through me to others. I want your love to be express through me.