This world holds nothing for us...in a way. (Proverbs 1-4; 15-16; 22; 31; Ecclesiastes 1-3; 11-12)

1:7

What frame of mind nurtures knowledge? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Why is fear of the Lord a good starting point?

Elder Bednar said, “Unlike worldly fear that creates alarm and anxiety, godly fear is a source of peace, assurance, and confidence. … [It] encompasses a deep feeling of reverence, respect, and awe for the Lord Jesus Christ.” If I’m attempting to gain knowledge, I should focus that learning on principles that matter eternally. My learning should be accompanied by perspective. That perspective allows us to see that all things point to Jesus Christ.

1:10, 15-16

Those who sin love to surround themselves with sinners. Their spirit knows what they are doing is wrong. If they can convince others to sin, it helps them feel better. The solidarity of sinners is a powerful force that we must understand and avoid. “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not…My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil.”

I like the thought of not placing one foot on the path of the sinner. We cannot travel on the same path as the sinner and not eventually sin! We can’t place one foot on the wrong side of righteousness.

1:17-18

Even dumb animals have enough sense to avoid a trap being set in front of them! “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.” You can’t set a trap in view of a bird and expect the bird to step in it! We should be as wise as a bird brain. If we know that a path is sticky with sin, we shouldn’t walk straight into it. If someone is attempting to influence us to choose the wrong, we should see the trap for what it is and avoid it - like a bird does.

What’s worse, is we set the trap ourselves! “And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.” We put OURSELVES in spiritual danger! We know what we’re doing may ensnare us but we proceed anyway. We should stop doing that.

1:19

Greed is weird. When we think of greed, we imagine someone who is taking from someone else - that seems to be the definition of greedy. However, this isn’t the whole story. “So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.”

In other words, the greedy are taking from themselves. When we are greedy, we are stripping ourselves of the opportunities to be selfless and Christlike. We are setting our sites on something other than Jesus Christ. We are looking at what others have instead of looking towards the Savior. We are worshipping worldly blessings rather than the Lord.

Our greed can take away our eternal life.

1:22

Humans love the comfortable road. If we are lazy, we love laziness. If we aren’t smart, we don’t like learning. We’re drawn to our weakness. Water, left to itself, settles. Most humans are the same way.

“How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?” Gossipers love to gossip. Prideful people love opportunities to look better than others. If we are lustful, we love lusting. It’s part of being the natural man. It’s takes the Lord and the Spirit to change that. Their influence gives us the desire to change - to repent. We can think of repentance as the process of turning away from those things that we are naturally drawn to!

1:32

“…the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” This is true. Prosperity of wise men amplifies their opportunities to gain wisdom and increase in knowledge. However, the prosperity of fools is not helpful for them. When a fool has disposable income and time, that extra income and time become accessories to future spiritual crimes.

When a foolish man has enough time to be idle, he’ll often fill that time with wickedness. If we ask to be blessed with prosperity, we must also ask to not be a fool!

2:2

“So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding.” The primary pathway for attaining wisdom is to listen. We must listen to empathize. We must listen to learn something new. We must listen to hear the thoughts of someone outside of ourselves.

We all have a problem with listening. We suffer from one or all of these issues:

• We judge someone immediately and pre-determine if what they are saying is worthwhile. We might consider someone boring or uninteresting. If we feel like someone is boring, the issue is likely that we aren’t really listening. We need to resist the temptation to put someone in a box and disregard what they are saying.

• We are wanting to impress someone so we are considering what we are going to say next while they speaking. So we are listening to ourselves rather than the other person.

• Our goal isn’t to learn something new. We need to understand that we can be better person from nearly every conversation we have if we are willing to sincerely listen. It may be that 9 out of 10 statements someone makes is irrelevant to our lives - but it may be that the ONE thing could really impact our lives.

Also, understanding something spiritual must involve the heart. We cannot think our ways to a testimony of the gospel. I can logically understand the principle of faith. But to truly understand the impact of faith, I must use my heart.

2:3-4, 6

“Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding.” Before I study, I pray that the Spirit will help enlighten my mind. I feel like my brainpower can’t grasp spiritual principles. I need God’s help. “For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” Knowledge, wisdom and understanding do not spring naturally out of our brains.

“If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures.” We should seek after knowledge as we would money. What amount of money would it take to trade our knowledge of the plan of salvation? Acquiring knowledge about Christ’s atonement and our place in the plan of salvation should be as much of a priority as earning a living.

In the end, it won’t matter how much money we acquire. But it will REALLY matter how much knowledge we have gained. Our knowledge increases our capacity to be better use our time in mortality.

2:16

“To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words.” In the footnote for ‘strange woman,’ it describes and unchaste woman. How many men have been pulled off of the covenant path by the flattering words of an unchaste woman? We all have a need to be loved. The natural man desires pleasure. Pride loves adoration. There are a lot of forces pulling us towards flattery. We need deliverance and help from above to turn away from temptations like this.

3:5-7

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.” These are three verses that all make the point that we shouldn’t rely on ourselves.

We should:

• Not trust ourselves more than God.

• Acknowledge his hand in our lives and give room for him to direct us.

• Not consider ourselves more wise than God. We shouldn’t let pride creep in.

• Understand that God is greater than we are. We don’t know what he knows.

• Avoid evil to remain close to God.

Our nature is to rely on ourselves. We must actively work to build our reliance on God.

3:11-12

“My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Most of us aren’t getting chastened by God. We don’t receive an actual visitation. So how do we get chastened?

It may be a priesthood leader. It may be a friend. It may be a conference talk. It may be a parent. We should work hard to remain open to correction that we receive from anyone. The natural man is prideful. A prideful person doesn’t like correction and chastisement.

We must subdue the natural man to accept chastening. I think that we will be receiving correction throughout for a very long time as we continue to refine ourselves to become like our Heavenly Father. We need to get good at it.

A key is to understand that chastisement from the Lord comes from a place of love. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t correct.

3:13-14

Understanding that instruction and correction benefits us is key to receiving it well. “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.” If we understand that gaining wisdom and understanding is valuable, we will be more open to receiving it in any form - including chastisement.

3:27

“Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.” I’m trying to apply this verse to my daily life. How I am doing this is to be more vocal when I witness someone doing well. Whether it’s a cashier who is nice to a friend sharing a story, I try to take a moment to compliment. In the past, when I have noticed when someone is doing something good, I have simply thought ‘how great are they!?’ Now, I say what I’m thinking. It seems to make people happier.

4:7

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” This life is about attaining wisdom. Along with wisdom, we should get ‘understanding.’ What’s the distinction?

In the footnote under ‘understanding,’ it suggests ‘problem solving.’ I think that’s an interesting thought. What good is wisdom if we don’t apply it to solving problems? What good is it to be wise if you don’t fix anything? How much does it bless you if you don’t apply your wisdom to improving things around you.

We shouldn’t get wisdom simply to be wise. We’ve got to use that wisdom in blessing ourselves and others. It’s what we DO with the wisdom that matters.

4:13

“Take fast hold of instruction.” Instructions are the scriptures and words of living prophets. We should hold on to those words. We shouldn’t just lightly touch instruction. We should study and follow closely.

4:14-15

“Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” We shouldn’t brush up against the path of the wicked. We shouldn’t be close to it. We shouldn’t dip our toe in it or try to get a glimpse. We should steer clear of the wicked path and not flirt with it.

4:19

“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.” When we are wicked, we are making lots of mistakes. Some we are aware of and some we are oblivious of.

Sin places stumbling blocks in our path. Every time. We may think we can sin unscathed but it doesn’t happen. There are always consequences. We often don’t see them.

Consider all of the stumbling blocks for a young woman who decides to ignore the law of chastity. The possible repercussions of that choice are almost innumerable.

4:23

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” What does it mean to keep our heart?

• I think this is about not let anything evil enter our heart. We want to keep our heart pure. Wickedness is striving to enter our heart and we must be diligent.

• Also, we need to keep our passions in check. We must work to influence what our heart feels. For example, we can’t let our heart covet or lust or feel unrighteous anger. We’ve got to control our hearts.

• We must keep our heart soft. It is a problem to become hard-hearted. We must allow our heart to feel the impressions of the Holy Ghost.

4:25

“Let thine eyes look right on.” Where are we directing our eyes?

• Are we looking at temptation?

• Are we looking for weakness in others?

• Are we looking for opportunities to be crucial?

We’ve been told that we should have an “eye single to the glory of God.” What a simple, profound statement. If we are looking towards doing those things that will add to the glory of God, we will not step off the path.

There is a phenomenon called ‘target fixation.’ It is where you become so focused on something, you drift right into it. It can be a problem when you’re riding a bike or driving a car. If something catches your eye off to the side, you will naturally steer towards it.

I think there is spiritual target fixation. If we are focused on God and his glory, we will move in that direction. If we are distracted by everything off to the side of the covenant path, we will naturally drift where our eyes are focused.

15:1

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Oh how I should have followed this scripture. I would have avoided many unpleasant conflicts!

It is human nature to respond in kind. If someone is angry with us, our natural response is to return that anger. Yelling usually begets yelling. Most arguments are a competing escalation of anger.

If one of the people has control of themselves enough to respond with softness, the contention often leaves immediately.

This is definitely something that I need to work on. It’s mostly a problem when dealing with strangers. It’s a weakness.

15:5, 10

“A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.” Why do we despise reproof? It must be pride. Our ego has a hard time with criticism. It’s part of the natural man - it’s in our nature.

Someone who appreciates reproof is prudent. Constructive criticism from others are opportunities to improve. If everyone around you simply compliments you, you’re probably a dictator. We all need others around us who are willing to offer reproof.

Recently, we had someone over to our house and she explained how she was relying on a woman who could receive revelation for her. She had received strength and inspiration from this woman. She viewed her as her spiritual leader.

I listened but finally explained my belief that this was a distraction for her - a member of the Church. I shared my honest opinion about the danger and distraction that she was engaged in.

She listened and didn’t seem offended. I hope she was grateful that I cared enough about her to offer some warning. She could have easily became upset and stormed out of our house.

“Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.” People who are off the covenant path often hate correction. We all hate the feeling of guilt. If someone’s words make us feel guilty for the sins we’ve committed, we often become very uncomfortable.

If we respond well to correction, it can be life saving. If we hate it, we can spiritually die. I think this life is much about being okay with receiving correction. We’re going to be receiving correction for millennia - we need to get good at it. It is how we will grow and progress to become like Heavenly Father.

15:14

“The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.” Those who understand what this life is about seek knowledge. They thrive on learning. The more they know, the more the realize how much more they could learn.

The foolish, however love foolishness. Those who are distracted love more distraction. Those who have invented their own theories about life don’t like learning others’ perspectives. They don’t like being exposed to principles that conflict with their own life view. It’s a pride thing. Since they invented the foolishness, it is a part of them.

If you’ve met someone who is foolish, they thrive on more foolishness as it reinforces the stupid theories that they have created. It’s actually maddening to have a discussion with these folks.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch What is a Woman by Matt Walsh. It’ll become very clear.

15:15

“All the days of the afflicted are evil: but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.” There are principles here that are two sides of the same coin:

1. Those who are depressed/negative view every day as a trial. They focus on what is wrong and their view is clouded by their poop-colored glasses. They see the negative in everything. As a result, they are continually afflicted.

2. On the other side, there are those who see the bright side of everything. To them, their is joy all around. They see what is good. They even see value in trials - as the trials are occurring! Their life is a feast, whether they are starving or not.

15:19; 22:5

“The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.” The lazy become entangled in everything. They:

• Are constantly distracted by leisure. Instead of an education, they play video games.

• Face daily problems created by past laziness: financial, relationship, housekeeping, etc.

• Are more susceptible to temptation. Without focusing on something productive, they surf the web or watch TV or contact old girlfriends on Facebook.

• Are stressed about all that they have yet to do but don’t want to do. They procrastinate and then worry about it.

The righteous simply act and move forward. They move along the covenant path and don’t waste energy figuring out how to stay put or drift on and off.

In chapter 22, we read, “Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward.” The definition of froward is ‘perverse.’ This is the same point.

15:28

“The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.” We should think before we speak. We should be thoughtful about what comes out of our mouth. Someone who is wise and righteous measures their answers.

The wicked and foolish simply let their mouth run. They speak without thinking. They often say things that they regret.

I need to work on this. Yesterday, I was very frustrated with our past builder. We have a jetted bathtub that hasn’t worked since we moved in - a year and a half ago! I was following up with him, again, and he was giving me the standard answer. I wrote a long text full of criticism. I didn’t send it. Instead, I remained silent. He followed up a little later with an actual plan. I was grateful that I held my tongue.

15:33

“The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.” We must be humble to be teachable. While in this life, we are working to add glory to God. Someday, we will receive our own glory. The path from here to there is full of humility.

This isn’t just true in eternity. It applies in life. A prideful person may be able to command honor - think North Korea. But, to be truly honored and respected, that requires humility.

16:2

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.” We like to see ourselves as clean. We like to be the hero of our story. Our brains have a hard time accepting that we are bad - or even made a mistake. Most of us have a bias towards ourselves. If there’s a problem, it’s usually someone else’s fault.

We believe that we are doing things for the right reasons. Even if that isn’t true. The Lord sees reality. He sees our true motives. Much of this life is getting our perspective to sync up with the Lord’s. If we could simply see reality the way he does, we would grow much faster.

16:3

“Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” Usually, we believe that our thoughts guide our works. But, I think it’s true that our works guide our thoughts.

If we are serving someone, how does it impact our thoughts? If we read the scriptures, how does it affect our thoughts. If we are prayerful, how does that influence what we think? If we are industrious, how does that purify what we think about?

If we’re having a hard time controlling our thoughts, we may first want to look at how we fill our time.

16:5

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.” Why does God have a problem with pride. I think it’s simply a matter of pride damning our progress. For us to continue to grow, we’ve got to be teachable. Pride gets in the way of this. It’s not that God simply has a dislike for pride - it’s what pride does to us that’s the abomination.

16:32

“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” So, the two examples of the same point are:

1. Slow to anger > Being mighty

2. Rules his spirit > Conquering a city

The point being that self control is more of a superpower than being able to control/conquer others. To be strong physically is not nearly as important as self-control. Why is self-control so helpful? Self control allows you to:

• Avoid temptation.

• Be diligent in scripture study.

• Not overreact to offense.

• Consider options carefully before acting.

• Keep passions in check.

• Do hard things in hopes of future reward.

• Resist the natural man.

Being able to dominate another person or conquer a group doesn’t really benefit a person long-term.

22:1

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.” Why is a good name and being favored by others so beneficial? Consider the opposite. What good is it to be rich if no one respects or likes you? How happy can you be?

On the other hand, if you are poor but are surrounded by people who love and respect you, is it possible to be happy. Yes it is.

22:13

“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” Slothful people look for reasons to not take a risk. They are afraid of failure. If you ask why they don’t attempt a new venture, their brains work very well at calculating all of the many risks involved and the reasons they will likely fail. We need to not be so cynical.

22:24-25

“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” We shouldn’t hang out with an angry or furious man. Also, we shouldn’t hang around those who are:

• Cynical and negative.

• Lazy and idle.

• Lustful and promiscuous.

• Gossiping and disloyal.

It’s not that we shouldn’t interact with folks like this. Jesus did. But we shouldn’t surround ourselves with bad influences most of the time. They will have an influence on us. This is especially true of young people.

31:10-27

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” I’ve witnessed, firsthand, the value of a virtuous woman.

Marci is such a woman. She is a good influence on me. She doesn’t have guile - no ulterior motives. You always know where she stands on something and isn’t afraid to speak up. She is industrious. Not only has she built an amazing company but also works every day on building this home into what she’s envisioned and being a good missionary. She is the definition of energetic. She has an evolved ability to discern what the right choice is. She is wise. She is always ready to give to those who need help - both time and money. She looks to the future and prepares.

31:30

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” Another translation of the first line is “charm is deceptive and beauty does not last.” Marci just had a birthday yesterday. She is getting older by the minute. So am I. I was much better looking when we were married - just a short ten years ago. I imagine the next ten years won’t be kind to our looks. At least mine…Marci seems to remain beautiful.

Our looks don’t matter much in the eternal scope of things. In fact, our skin and and muscles will continue to deteriorate. We all get worse and worse until we die. Mortal appearance is the definition of temporary. It is our character that matters.

Ecclesiastes

1:2

“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” This life is full of meaningless things that appear important. The house we live in, the car we drive, how high we propel ourselves professionally, how much money we make, the amount of power and influence we have, our physical beauty, our opportunities for pleasure and leisure. All of it will become meaningless the moment we die. Most of what we fill our time doing doesn’t matter.

The Preacher definitely has this opinion. I agree with him. Unfortunately, we get caught up in all of the worldly distractions and pressures. Because the empty things are continually before our eyes, we think they are important.

1:11, 14

“There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.” We think that what we are doing is SO important but it’s likely that no one will remember any of what we are doing just a few generations from now. How much do you know about your great-grandfather’s day to day effort. I know a little about my great grandfather but I don’t know a thing about my great-great-grandfather! I couldn’t even tell you his name. He spent his entire life attempting to make some kind of impact and I can’t remember his name.

We are all attempting to make an ‘impact on the world.’ Instead, we should be working to make an impact in the next world. We should:

• Work to understand how to influence others.

• Strengthen our testimonies and knowledge of the gospel.

• Become more teachable and willing to improve.

• Align our will with God’s.

• Practice serving others and being selfless.

These skills and attributes will allow us to be more productive in the world to come. We may not get any temporal benefit in this world - but, as the Preacher says, this world is vanity anyway. “I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

1:18

“For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” As I’ve written, the premortal world wasn’t filled with suffering. We had to come here to experience it. The more we learn about the purpose of life, the more we realize that this life is about experiencing sorrow. And that’s okay.

2:1-11, 17

The Preacher attempts to find happiness in all that the world has to offer:

• Building huge homes and vineyards.

• Planting gardens and orchards and fruit trees.

• Gathered sources of water.

• Hired servants.

• Bought cattle.

• Collected silver, gold, and peculiar treasure.

• Hired entertainers.

• Enjoyed desirable concubines.

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” After he had acquired all that the world could provide, he realized that it was all so meaningless - that all of it wasn’t really worthwhile.

It made him a little negative about life. “Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.”

3:1-8

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

• A time to be born, and a time to die.

• A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

• A time to kill, and a time to heal.

• A time to break down, and a time to build up.

• A time to weep, and a time to laugh.

• A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

• A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together.

• A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.

• A time to get, and a time to lose.

• A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

• A time to rend, and a time to sew.

• A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

• A time to love, and a time to hate.

• A time of war, and a time of peace.”

We should remember that life is cyclical like this. There are good times and bad. When things are good, we should enjoy them and prepare for the upcoming hardness. When things are bad, we can be comforted knowing that there are good times coming for all of us. There is always opposition in all things. Everything has it’s opposite and we are to become intimately acquainted with this fact.

11:4, 6

“He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” We can’t wait for conditions to be perfect before we act. They never will be. If we are waiting for just the right time to have kids or get married or look for a better job - that right time never gets here.

Instead, we should just go for it! “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

11:8

“But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many.” We should see the goodness in every stage of our lives. However, we should be sure that we are learning from the hard times.

12:11

“The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.” Goads are ‘smart pointed sticks used to drive oxen.’ Wise words can prod us forward or help us change direction. These words of correction can be painful but helpful.

12:13

I love how the Preacher boils it down at the end. We are here to be obedient. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” We don’t need to think too hard or figure out the purpose of life by feeling our own way. We know the commandments of God. We know the covenants we have made in the temple. We don’t have to figure life out from scratch! I’m grateful for my knowledge of the gospel and the purpose of life. It’s not some big mystery why I am here. I just have to do what I know to be right.