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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…
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Warnings Against Folly – Proverbs 6
In the Bible on my desk right now, the first part of Proverbs six has a section heading. It is called “Warnings Against Folly.” It is interesting that more than half the section deals with money. Being financially responsible is obviously very important, and it is a recurring theme throughout the whole book of Proverbs and the teachings of Jesus as well. The first warning is against putting up security for your neighbour. Now, you might think that trusting your neighbour is the kind, neighbourly thing to do. But, no. It is considered foolishness. We need to be more careful than that. We need to understand that our resources are…
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Pay Attention! – Proverbs 5
“Pay attention to my wisdom.” “Turn your ear to my words of insight.” —Proverbs 5:1-2 It is so easy for us to be distracted. We seem to be carried away by every shiny new object that enters our field of vision. The writer here reminds us to pay attention to what is important: wisdom and insight. In this case, he is warning specifically against adultery, but that particular sin is not the only one we need to be on our guard against. We each have our areas where we are vulnerable. Feeding our minds with the wisdom of Proverbs is great protection against whatever might try to entice us. Reading…
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Does father really know best? – Proverbs 4
At the beginning of the fourth chapter of Proverbs, the writer repeats his admonition to his son, “Listen to me!” This time around, though, he shares with his reader a sampling of his credentials, “For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother. Then he taught me.” Here, Dad reminds his son that he has been in the place where his son now stands. Once, he too was a young man making a serious choice, “Should I listen to my father’s advice or should I go my own way?” Can we trust the wisdom of those who have gone before us? Are we…
