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Thought from today's Proverb, Auckland (2026)

19/04/2024

Consider Your Time

Wow it’s the 20th of April this year already, winter is around the corner, and Christmas is rapidly approaching again!

Doesn’t time fly when you look back on it! Hence we say “life is short.” I’m 53 years old now and looking back I wonder where all the years have gone, they go by so fast…well that’s our perception of it. I mean a minute remains a minute and and hour is still an hour, time hasn’t sped up at all. It’s how we think about it and perceive that time flies and life is short.

Considering this, shouldn’t we be trying to make the most of the time we have?

Some questions are below for those of you reading with open hearts 💙, just to get you thinking:

What are you living for, what is your purpose?
Do you have continual inner peace in your heart?
Do you have hope for the future that brings you joy?
Do you fear death?

Most people want to answer these questions positively, sadly many cannot. I heard a man once say “every person wants to live forever in a nice place”, is that true for you?

Personally for me, all these questions were positively answered when I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ and the Bible. As Jesus himself said “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”

If you really want purpose in this life and to know the true meaning of it all, if you want lasting peace and hope for the future that makes you smile, if you no longer want to fear death but rather see past death and believe in an eternity filled with life and joy, then Jesus is the only answer. There is no other way, no other truth, no other eternal life to be found, any time at any place, many have searched and come out empty.

Jesus Christ is God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and you need a personal relationship with Him. You need to pray and introduce yourself to him, like meeting anyone for the first time. Tell him you’re sorry for ignoring him for so long, confess your sins to him, ask for his forgiveness, believe in your heart that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins so that through His atoning sacrifice you can receive the forgiveness of God and the free gift of eternal life.

Surely you’ve heard this before, twice every year at Christmas and Easter? It’s called the ‘gospel’ of Jesus Christ, and it’s very good news for you. Jesus died on that cross, was buried, and rose from the dead the third day. Anyone who believes this and takes it personally can be saved, simply believe and call out to God as I explained earlier, He will hear you and will forgive you and save your soul if you truly believe in your heart. I did 31 years ago and I’ve never turned back, I’ve never had any regrets and believe you won’t either if you take the step of faith and trust Christ as your Lord and Saviour!

Don’t remain lost and without hope, don’t wander aimlessly through life without knowing your true purpose. You don’t have to fear death, to fear the thought of dying and not knowing what happens - you can know the truth and the truth will make you free!

Please don’t delay, believe the gospel, ask God to forgive you and save you and to become your Lord and Saviour, life is too short.

PM me any time if you want to talk about this, or anything. God bless you and your family. Matt 🩵

Some relevant Bible verses for your reading:

Life is short.

James 4:14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Psalm 90:9-10
For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Salvation - The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:2-4
By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Romans 3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 10:9-10
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Jesus is life.

John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 3:16-18
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 11:25-26
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Everlasting joy for the saved (redeemed).

Isaiah 51:11
Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

24/08/2022

When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him - Proverbs 16:7

God created man with a conscience, and He wrote his law on his heart. Every man knows it's wrong to murder, steal, lie, etc. When a man's ways are good and upright, when he chooses the right over the wrong, then everyone around him notices and respects it in their heart, even his enemies respect him, though they may never admit it.

When a man/or woman lives for the glory of God they become a peacemaker, their ultimate goal is to make peace between lost souls and the Lord Jesus Christ. The light of Christ shines through them, both friends & foes sense it, and the fruit of it is peace.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God - Matthew 5:9

Live your life to please the LORD, it's the only path to true enduring peace, amen.

22/11/2021

November 23rd 2021

Proverbs 23:4
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

It is not wise to spend your life working to gain riches! The proverb continues in verse 25 and says that riches make themselves wings and fly away, so you can’t hold on to them anyway.

Riches, wealth, money in themselves are not evil or bad, in fact we need them to survive down here, but God is warning us not to make them our priority or else they will deceive us and take us away from the most important things in life that are God, family, church & the work of the Lord, reaching lost souls with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you labour to be rich your heart will be moved away from the Lord, you will fall into temptation and find much trouble in your life. Men who pursue riches fall in love with them, and that is the root of all evil in this world!

1 Timothy 6:9-10
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Cease from thine own wisdom, labour for the Master and he will make you rich in ways you never dreamed of, amen.

25/04/2020

April 26th 2020

Proverbs 26:20
Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.

A talebearer is a person who maliciously gossips and reveals secrets about other people, they cause hurt and strife among families and churches. God commanded Israel “thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people” in Leviticus 19:16. This moral law also applies to Christians, so know that it is a sin to do it!

Proverbs 11:13
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Proverbs 18:8
The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

When a talebearer is removed from a group of people the proverb says it is like removing wood from a fire, as the fire will go out so will the strife and conflict this person causes.

Don’t be guilty of talebearing, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, and if someone tells you their secret keep it to yourself, don’t delight in revealing it to others. We are supposed to be ‘peace makers’ not peace destroyers!

Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

25/04/2020

April 25th 2020

Proverbs 25:21-22
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the Lord shall reward thee.

If you live your life for the Lord Jesus Christ then you will have enemies, because God’s enemies will become your enemies!

Philippians 3:18
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

In both Testaments God’s people are taught to help their enemies and pray for them.

Romans 12:19-20
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Matthew 5:44
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

The proverb says that God will reward us for obeying His word and treating our enemies this way.

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

The result is that this only adds to the guilt of the enemy of God, for it shows that his hatred is without cause, and therefore he will suffer greater damnation in hell if he doesn’t repent and turn to God for salvation.

Matthew 23:14
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Christian, apply this instruction to your life, walk in the Spirit of God and help your enemies, pray for them, but also warn of the wrath to come and preach the Gospel of peace to them!

24/04/2020

April 24th 2020

Proverbs 24:9
The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

If a foolish thought is considered sin in the eyes of God then how many times each day do we sin? Are we guilty like those hypocritical Pharisee’s who had everything appearing white and clean on the outside, but on the inside (thoughts, imaginations, heart attitude) were unclean?

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Men are without excuse when it comes to this proverb, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God! Some might claim “I am not a sinner, I have never killed anyone or done anything worthy of going to prison!” but that’s not how God views sin, with Him it goes way deeper down into the heart, and only He can read the human heart and see our true sin and wickedness. Most sin starts on the inside and at the end manifests outwardly through action. Every man needs a new heart and the only Surgeon who can perform this operation is God.

Colossians 2:12
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.

Christian, in Christ you have this new heart already, now learn to control it. Submit your thoughts to God and cast down wicked imaginations, don’t feed your mind on worldly, evil, abominable things that displease the Lord, walk in righteousness and sin not!

2 Corinthians 10:5
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Proverbs 16:3
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

23/04/2020

April 23rd 2020

Proverbs 23:22
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

Throughout the whole Bible, God puts much importance on honouring and respecting our earthly father and mother. Remember the 5th Commandment in Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” In the new testament Paul reiterates this in Ephesians 6:2 “Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;)”, the promise here is that your life on earth will be prolonged if you obey this command!

The proverb reminds us that without our parents we wouldn’t be here - “thy father that begat thee”, so let us appreciate all the years that they spent raising and caring for us before we left home.

There is also a warning not to despise your mother when she is old, which I am tempted myself to do sometimes when my own mother gives me ‘advice’ contrary to what I know is best for my family. We know and understand that when people get old they can go a bit mad or senile, they suffer loss of memory and good judgment, yet God wants us to continue to love and respect them despite all this.

Let’s be thankful for our parents, show love and respect and support them throughout our whole lives no matter what, for this pleases our Father which is in heaven.

Proverbs 23:24-25
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

22/04/2020

April 22nd 2020

Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

The god of this world (Satan) does not want parents to use God’s method of correction on their children, some countries have made it illegal claiming that it is abusive. Why? Because the Devil wants our children to remain foolish!

Let God be true, but every man a liar (Romans 3:4). God’s word works, any Christian parent who uses the rod of correction can testify to this. The methods of the world such as a ‘telling off’, or being sent to their room, or being grounded at home do NOT drive out the foolishness from the child.

Without being corrected the right way we have generations growing up who have no concern about the consequences of their actions/sins, we see them in our world today and were warned about it by Paul the Apostle 2000 years ago, note “disobedient to parents” in the following passage:

2 Timothy 3:1-4
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.

If you are a Christian parent and want your children to grow up to love God, to receive Him as their Lord and Saviour, then go on to serve Him throughout their lives, then you need to apply God’s method of correction to them in your home. Don’t do it in anger but do it out of love for them and obedience to God, believing that His ways are true and righteous altogether!

Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

Proverbs 29:17
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

20/04/2020

April 21st 2020

Proverbs 21:31
The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.

It’s not the horse that keeps the rider safe, it’s the Lord!

It’s not the alarm systems in our homes, it’s not the security features in our cars, it’s not the technology in planes that keeps us safe, it’s the Lord!

Christian, we forget this truth many times, we live day by day in relative safety and don’t give thanks to God for it. Remember He is always with us, and in us, He has built a hedge of protection around those He loves and doesn’t want to see any harm come to them.

Job 1:9-10
Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But let us not take God’s hedge for granted, if we leave the paths of righteousness and serve sin then Satan might have an excuse to do us harm!

Ecclesiastes 10:8
He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

Let’s walk with the Lord daily and pray without ceasing, thanking Him for his divine protection, even though we may not always see or know it, we have His word on it, amen.

Psalm 33:17-19
An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.

19/04/2020

April 20th 2020

Proverbs 20:6
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

We see here that a faithful man is not amongst most men, he is one of the few and hard to find!

Most men walk in their own vanity, after their fallen human nature, they were born that way and it is the reason this world is in such a mess! God allows them to do what they please, one of His gifts to mankind is a free will and He won’t deny them this.

A faithful man is one who has been born again, so has been freed from the bo***ge of sin, no longer a servant of sin but now a servant of God. He is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour and chooses (free will) to submit to and obey God’s word. He is following the “way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” - Matthew 7:14

Are you a faithful man, or woman? Are you following the way that leads to life, or are you still walking in the vanity of your mind and proclaiming your own goodness and not the goodness of God which leads to repentance?

Turn back to God, admit you have no goodness of your own, proclaim the goodness of God and be counted as one of the faithful to the end!

Psalm 12:1-2
Help, Lord ; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

Matthew 25:21
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

18/04/2020

April 19th 2020

Proverbs 19:17
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

Here we find a Biblical principle that if you give to God he will repay you. It ties in with another Bible principle of sowing & reaping, if you sow (plant, put something into God’s ministry and kingdom) then you will reap it (harvest, gather the rewards) later.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

God is so good to us, unlike earthly employers and governments He is more than fair, He gives back over and above that which we give to Him, we have his word on it!

Galatians 6:9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Give of yourself to God, give of your finances, give of your time and talents, give your heart to Him - He will repay you bountifully in this life and that which is to come, amen.

17/04/2020

April 18th 2020

Proverbs 18:13
He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.

We are all guilty of this, we speak way too soon because we are so eager to give our own opinion, even though we havn’t yet heard the full story! We rate our own opinions too highly and are often deaf to someone else’s opinion, this is especially true in the home between children & their parents, and husbands & wives, but it happens all throughout our society wherever people are in schools, businesses, government, and churches!

The proverb says when you do this it is folly (silly, stupid, foolish) and will bring you shame.

As Christians we have the power to do what is right and learn from this proverb, we need to form good habits in our life of LISTENING to others and HEARING them out, valuing their opinions and waiting for them to finish before we answer. If we exercise patience and wait then we may find our opinion will change!

The importance of HEARING is seen in the following words of Jesus Christ, note the word “heareth” and be wise and apply this in your own life!

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Thought from today's Proverb

19/04/2024

24/08/2022

22/11/2021

25/04/2020

25/04/2020

24/04/2020

23/04/2020

22/04/2020

20/04/2020

19/04/2020

18/04/2020

17/04/2020

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