Proverbs 14

The Explanation

Once there was a woman. She was building a house.

She carried stones. One by one. She carried wood. She worked all day.

Her house became strong. Strong walls. A good roof.

Not far away, another house was falling down. Crack. Crack. Stone by stone, it broke apart.

Why? Because the woman who lived there did not take care. She pulled her own house down, with her own hands.

The Bible says: a wise woman builds her house. A foolish one tears it down.

Outside, in the village, lived a poor man. He had no bread. He had no coat.

Some people walked past him. They did not look at him. Not even one look.

But one man stopped. He gave the poor man bread. Warm bread, fresh from the oven.

The Bible says that man was blessed. God saw what he did.

What Does This Mean?

God sees everything. He sees the wise woman building. He sees the poor man, cold and hungry. He sees who stops to help.

God loves it when we are kind. Kind with our hands. Kind with our words.

He does not love it when we are unkind to someone poor. The Bible says that makes God sad, because every person belongs to Him.

The Common Thread

The Bible says: fear of Yahweh is a fountain of life.

A fountain. Think of cool water, bubbling up, on a hot day. You can drink it. You will not stay thirsty.

God is like that fountain. He gives life. He gives safety too.

The Bible says: in the fear of Yahweh is a secure fortress. A fortress has thick walls. Nothing bad can get in.

God is a safe fortress for His children. Just like a papa holds his child close, so nothing can hurt him.

For You

Maybe today you can be like that kind man. Maybe someone near you has no snack. No one to play with.

You could share. You could say: come, play with me.

That makes God glad. Like warm bread smells glad, in the morning.

And when you are scared, you can run to God. Run fast, like running into papa's arms. He is your fortress. He is your fountain.

Talk About It

Can you think of someone who needs a kind word from you today?

What do you do when you feel scared? Can you tell God about it?

Praying Together

Dear God, Thank You that You are strong, like a fortress. Thank You that You are like cool water for me. Help me share with someone today. Help me be kind, like You are kind. Amen.