Pastor Chris talked about this some 2 weeks ago, and it also matches with out bible study last night, so when I saw it today, I thought, I'll share what I learned on this! So, here goes.....

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our parents up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”
Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.”
But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the LORD.”


Why would Joshua do that? it's like he was trying to discourage them from following God! He was letting the people know that this was really serious. This wasn't just a 'Yea, OK, we'll follow God. Sure.' He was telling them to go all out, or not do it at all. there's no in between, no neutral. Your'e either there with all your heart, or not at all.

If you argue your case with a neighbor, do not betray another man's confidence, or he who hears it may shame you and you will never lose your bad reputation.

Basically, what they're saying is that if you're fighting, which you shoundn't be doing anyway, don't give away secrets to you're avantage, cause, fist of all, that's just wrong. Second, like he state, the guy you told, or the people that may happen to hear are gonna tell on you an you're never gonna lose your bad reputation. you're always gonna beknown as the guy who couln't keep a secret. In my house they say, 'You've got a hole in your treasure chest!'

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.

 A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.
He who answers before listening—  that is his folly and his shame.

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

Those are all verses from one chapter in proverbs, and they are all talking about your mouth. It says the tongue has the power over life and death! It seems a lot of these verses are about what happens when you speak foolishly or speak before listening. If you con keep control of your tongue. that'd save you from a lot of trouble according to this proverb.

I think often times we think things like, 'wow, Gods so amazing, it's unfathomable all the things he does' and all that. I know that I've said that, and really meant it, my whole life. But recently I have been scratching the surface, going deeper than,  ' he made the oceans and holds the galaxies in his hands' kind of thing. I mean, that really is amazing, but I've been digging deeper. These are just a few of the facts that I've been thinking on:

•  I think the body, is absolutely incredible. Did you know that there are over 75 trillion cells in your body? God makes every single one of them do what there supposed to. 
• When you have ramen noodles in the fridge over night, and you get them out to have them for lunch, and there's hardly any broth left because the noodles soaked it all up, that doesn't just happen, God causes that.
• In Exodus, when the Israelites had just left Egypt, Pharaoh's heart hardens. God told Moses that that was gonna happen - and what do ya know! It did!
• Jupiters pull is so strong, that most of the rocks that would have hit earth have hit jupiter instead. But it's not so strong that it effects the way the earth rotates.

These are just a few of the things I've been thinking on and I think, Wow, that really is unfathomable.

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

He who loves a quarrel loves sin; he who builds a high gate invites destruction.

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife.

These are the words of the wisest guy there ever was on earth, besides Jesus. People seem to take proverbs so lightly, but if the person who wrote these, (even if he did turn away from God later on,) was the wisest guy on the planet, it seems we should take his words pretty seriously, and apply them to life.

The wages of the righteous bring them life,

but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.

 

 

We were just memorized a verse that went, For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. They go with each other great. You could put them together like this,

 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the wages of the righteous bring them life."

 

Or,

 

"The income of the wicked brings them punishment, but the gift of God is eternal life throught Jesus Christ our Lord."

 

I'm amazed that they line up so well with each other. That's really cool.

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men.  Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot sleep till they do evil; they are robbed of slumber till they make someone fall. They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.  But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

David is really trying to make a point to Solomon when he's talking about the way of evil men. When the bible says something once pay attention. When it says something twice pay close attention. When it says something three times, you should know that it really really means it.