Proverbs 28:15-28 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.A faithful man will abound with blessings,but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. Proverbs 28:19-20 The truth of these proverbs should be reasonably plain to all. Faithful, diligent hard work over time …
Author Archives: John S.
September 13 / Proverbs 28:1-14
Proverbs 28:1-14 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13 This proverb presents a core truth of Christianity. The first real step in receiving mercy is to recognize our own sin and to repent. We cannot stand on our own righteousness. Yet it is a …
September 12 / Proverbs 27:15-27
Proverbs 27:15-27 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,and never satisfied are the eyes of man. Proverbs 27:20 Madison Avenue survives and thrives on the truth of this proverb. The advertising industry not only recognizes our tendency to always want more, but feeds that tendency, promising us satisfaction if only we’ll buy what they’re selling — …
September 11 / Proverbs 27:1-14
Proverbs 27:1-14 Better is open rebukethan hidden love.Faithful are the wounds of a friend;profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:5-6 How well do you take constructive criticism? How about open rebuke? Do you honestly evaluate critical words to see whether they have merit, whether there is any truth in them? Or do you …
September 10 / Proverbs 26:13-28
Proverbs 26:13-28 For lack of wood the fire goes out,and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. Proverbs 26:20-21 Have you been setting — or fueling — any fires lately? So also the tongue is a small member, yet it …
September 9 / Proverbs 26:1-12
Proverbs 26:1-12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12 Most of the proverbs in today’s reading disparage fools in one way or another. It is easy to nod our heads in agreement. We can all point to examples of …
September 8 / Proverbs 25:15-28
Proverbs 25:15-28 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,for you will heap burning coals on his head,and the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 I once encountered some teaching that tried to explain away the “burning coals” part of this proverb by saying …
September 7 / Proverbs 25:1-14
Proverbs 25:1-14 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presenceor stand in the place of the great,for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverbs 25:6-7 That sounds an awful lot like what Jesus says in Luke 14:7-11, which Ben just preached …
September 6 / Proverbs 24:23-34
Proverbs 24:23-34 Partiality in judging is not good.Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,and a good blessing will come upon them. Proverbs 24:23b-25 As I have said before, I believe we all have an innate sense of …
September 5 / Proverbs 24:13-22
Proverbs 24:13-22 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,and be not envious of the wicked,for the evil man has no future;the lamp of the wicked will be put out. Proverbs 24:19-20 Does that mean that we should sit idly by in the presence of evil? Do we just let evil triumph? No. We know from the …