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What motivates you? – Proverbs 16
All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. – Proverbs 16:2 Actions are important. The things that we do in our daily lives show who we are. People judge us by what we do. With God though, our actions aren’t the bottom line. God has the unique ability to see beyond our actions to the motives of our heart. What does God consider to be more important? Our motives! You might ask why our motives matter so much, since other people have no way of knowing what is in our hearts. The reason is that the unseen things that motivate us will always…
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What are you feeding your soul? – Proverbs 15
The discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly. – Proverbs 15:14 We are confronted everywhere in the media with conflicting advice about how we should feed our bodies. Should we enjoy the feast of whole grains for their mood enhancing B vitamins, or shun the deadly gluten they might contain? Is coffee killing us? Or giving us life and energy to face the day? Are dairy foods only for calves, or are they suitable for an child or adult human? I am not a scientist, and it is pretty obvious that the scientists can’t agree completely on what we should or shouldn’t feed our…
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The Rewards of Hard Work – Proverbs 14
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. – Proverbs 14:23 Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is. Don’t talk the talk unless you’re willing to walk the walk. Git ‘er done! There are a lot of everyday sayings that remind us of the truths expressed in Proverbs 14:23. Just talking about a task, or a goal, or a dream, will not get the job done. Sooner or later, you need to put in the hours, make the call, close the sale, and do the work that pays the bills, mends the relationship, or otherwise accomplishes the desired result. Of course, there…
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Less Mary, More Martha – Proverbs 13
The desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. – Proverbs 13:4 There is much in the book of Proverbs about the importance of diligence. Apart from a miraculous gift of grace, or pure dumb luck, there is really no success without it. In any area of life, persistence is key to success. Keep going, nose to the grindstone, do the work and put in the hours, get things done, and get the results you are looking for. While I have known all of this for some time, I have spent most of my life being a dreamer, a dawdler, a reader, and a procrastinator. I can identify much more with…
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How teachable are you? – Proverbs 12
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” Proverbs 12:1, NIV When I first read this verse in the New International Version, I had to give my head a shake. Does the Bible really use the word “stupid”? Being old school, or maybe just old, I had to look this up in the KJV to put it into perspective: “Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.” – Proverbs 12:1, KJV. Now I realize the old school words say exactly the same thing as the NIV, but I do like the way that the KJV uses the word instruction instead of discipline.…
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Honest in All Your Dealings – Proverbs 11
Have you ever been tempted to cheat? Tell a little white lie? Fudge a bit on the truth? The Lord abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. – Proverbs 11:1 Resist the temptation to cheat! It really does pay to keep things honest in all your dealings with people. Getting caught in a lie can be embarrassing, not to mention totally destructive to your credibility. You might think you can get away with it, that nobody will ever know, but that is just wishful thinking. You will always know when you are dishonest. And God will always know. Dishonesty will destroy you from the inside out. You will…
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Diligent Hands – Proverbs 10
“Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.” – Proverbs 10:4 We all know what it means to be lazy. We’ve all known lazy people, who would do anything to get out of doing work, and, I daresay, we have all had times when we have been lazy ourselves. But diligent is a little trickier to define and to put into practice. Being diligent means “having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.” It is more than just working hard, which I would guess is the opposite of being lazy. Diligence takes a very specific and targeted approach to getting things done. Someone who…
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Wisdom Sets the Table – Proverbs 9
It is all there waiting for you. The table is beautifully set. A banquet of the finest meat and wine has been specially prepared. More importantly, the invitation has your name on it! Wisdom is calling to you. Come and enjoy everything she has to offer. Wisdom has set the table, offering long life, understanding, and prosperity. What can be more important that answering the call to wisdom? Certainly not watching television. But it didn’t take long for tv watching to become the go to pastime for our society. I am guilty of this myself. The lure of the big black box can be irresistible at times, even for me,…
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Is Wisdom Hard to Get? – Proverbs 8
In the eighth chapter of the book of Proverbs, wisdom is personified as a woman standing in the street, calling out to those around her. She offers instruction to anyone willing to take it. She promises great rewards to those who accept what she has to offer. She makes her offer to “all mankind” (Proverbs 8:4). Why then do we sometimes act as if wisdom is so hard to get? We act as though it takes a lifetime of schooling, a slew of hard knocks, and an above average intellect to get wisdom. Reading through the rest of the chapter, though, it seems as if the clearest path to wisdom…
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The Apple of Your Eye – Proverbs 7
The seventh chapter of Proverbs is a warning to a young man to stay away from sexual sin. The initial verses of the chapter supply the defensive strategy that is needed to win the battle against temptation. “My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you… Guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.” -Proverbs 7:1-2 When we train ourselves to value what is good and right, we gain the strength to win what can be a very difficult battle. The training consists of constant reminders, daily reading, and surrounding ourselves with people who will uphold us and reinforce us in our convictions. How important is…
