Day 5 of Pastor Chris' Paraphrase of Proverbs Devotion

Day 5  A greedy heart will quickly lead you astray.  The wise person learns to be satisfied with what God gives them.  He always gives you what you need.  Practice letting go of desire and being satisfied with what you already have.  It is hard to entice or cheat or trick someone who is already deeply satisfied.  Wisdom grows in the soil of satisfaction.  Foolishness takes root in longing.  Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 5:7-20 So listen, child, and don’t forget what I say:  Stay away from whores. Don’t even go near her house or you’ll forfeit your honor and suffer bad.  Strangers will take everything you have and you’ll spend your life working for people who don’t care about you.  You’ll end up in misery, sick and wasted, moaning, “Why didn’t I listen and control myself? I didn’t listen to my teacher’s wisdom!  Now I’m completely ruined and despised!” Drink clean, pure water from your own well.  Why would you drink water from the sewer and let strangers take a bath in your drinking water?  Keep your drinking water clean.  It’s for you and your wife only, the beautiful one you’ve always loved.  Be captivated by her love alone and let her satisfy your most intimate needs.  Why should you trust a whore with such vulnerable and sacred moments? Be satisfied with what you have.  Go further, cherish and thank God for it.  You will realize how blessed you are and have no need or desire for the filthy things the world offers. Prayer "Father, help me to appreciate all the pure and lovely things You have given me and so see I don't need to lust after the disgusting things of this world. Amen." Read Proverbs Chapter 5
New American Standard Bible	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase
Proverbs 5 Pitfalls of Immorality 1 My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; 2 That you may observe discretion And your lips may reserve knowledge. 3 For the lips of an [a]adulteress drip honey And smoother than oil is her [b]speech; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol. 6 [c]She does not ponder the path of life; Her ways are unstable, she does not know it. 7 Now then, my sons, listen to me And do not depart from the words of my mouth. 8 Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house, 9 Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one; 10 And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien; 11 And you groan at your [d]final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed; 12 And you say, “How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! 13 “I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! 14 “I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” 15 Drink water from your own cistern And [e]fresh water from your own well. 16 Should your springs be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be yours alone And not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving hind and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; Be [f]exhilarated always with her love. 20 For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an [g]adulteress And embrace the bosom of a foreigner? 21 For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, And He watches all his paths. 22 His own iniquities will capture the wicked, And he will be held with the cords of his sin. 23 He will die for lack of instruction, And in the greatness of his folly he will go astray. Footnotes: 1.            Proverbs 5:3 Lit strange woman 2.            Proverbs 5:3 Lit palate 3.            Proverbs 5:6 Lit That she not watch 4.            Proverbs 5:11 Or latter 5.            Proverbs 5:15 Lit flowing 6.            Proverbs 5:19 Lit intoxicated 7.            Proverbs 5:20 Lit strange woman	Proverbs 5 Don’t Cheat 1-6 Sweet child, listen because I know and pay close attention to my advice; I know the way things work.  That way, you’ll learn some common sense and sound rational.  The temptress has sexy lips and tells you what you want to hear, but she’s full of poison and will cut your heart out.  She’s heading to death and destruction. She won’t find life.  She doesn’t even know she’s wandered off course.  7-14 So listen, child, and don’t forget what I say:  Stay away from whores. Don’t even go near her house or you’ll forfeit your honor and suffer bad.  Strangers will take everything you have and you’ll spend your life working for people who don’t care about you.  You’ll end up in misery, sick and wasted, moaning, “Why didn’t I listen and control myself? I didn’t listen to my teacher’s wisdom!  Now I’m completely ruined and despised!” 15-20 Drink clean, pure water from your own well.  Why would you drink water from the sewer and let strangers take a bath in your drinking water?  Keep your drinking water clean.  It’s for you and your wife only, the beautiful one you’ve always loved.  Be captivated by her love alone and let her satisfy your most intimate needs.  Why should you trust a whore with such vulnerable and sacred moments? 21-23 God watches us closely and always sees what we do.  Bad people’s sins get them in trouble.  They get caught up in their own wickedness.  They are lost in foolishness and their recklessness leads to death.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs (PCP) Copyright © 2018 by Chris Mullis