Category: Morning Musings

Pig with a nose ring standing in a muddy farm pen

How to Live a Life of Substance

1 Comment

“The wicked person earns an empty wage, but the one who sows righteousness, a true reward. Genuine righteousness leads to life, but pursuing evil leads to death. Those with twisted minds are detestable to the Lord, but those with blameless conduct are his delight. Be assured that a wicked person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape. A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. The desire of the righteous turns out well, but the hope of the wicked leads to wrath.” (Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Our culture is suffering from a crisis of meaning. Having unmoored ourselves from the solid rock of Christian theism with its clear and compelling vision for each person’s life, we are searching with greater desperation for something, anything that can give our lives the substance we need. Work is sometimes one of those things, but again, without that large framework of meaning, it quickly becomes empty too. All the rewards we receive from it amount to nothing. Solomon warns us of that here at the beginning of our next group of proverbs. Let’s take a look at these together today.

Read the rest…

Playing Nice with Others

Leave a comment

“Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks sense, but a person with understanding keeps silent. A gossip goes around revealing a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence. Without guidance, a people will fall, but with many counselors there is deliverance. If someone puts up security for a stranger, he will suffer for it, but the one who hates such agreements is protected. A gracious woman gains honor, but violent people gain only riches. A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel person brings ruin on himself.” (Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

In middle school I was getting picked on by a bully. On day I told my table partner in drafting class that I thought I could probably take him if his ever-present goon didn’t jump in. I was not looking for a fight by any stretch. I was simply expressing frustration with who I thought was a friend. He was not a friend. He wanted to see a fight. So, he promptly went and related to the bully my expressed confidence. My bully soon thereafter gave me the opportunity to test my claims (in the locker room after gym class just to keep things as cliched as they could possibly be). I talked my way out of getting my face pounded in…and I never shared anything with my table partner again. Solomon’s proverb in this next batch proved true. Let’s take a look at the rest.

Read the rest…
Man sawing a tree branch while park visitors look up

Creating a Path Safe for Moving Forward

Leave a comment

“Dishonest scales are detestable to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight. When arrogance comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them. Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death. The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.” (Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

There have been a number of particularly devastating wildfires in the last couple of years. There are nearly always wildfires burning somewhere in the country, but several recent ones have torn through populated areas. When a fire like that burns through, while having a lot of money can make recovery easier on the backside, it doesn’t do a thing to prevent the fires from consuming everything in their path. There are many things money can cover, but not everything. Solomon talks about something from this latter category in this next batch of proverbs. Let’s take a look.

Read the rest…
Collage with “WELCOME: ALL NEIGHBORS,” neighbors sharing food, painting a mural, and meeting together

A Milestone Worth Noting

2 Comments

“The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.” (Proverbs 23:24 – CSB Read the chapter)

If you are doing the math and puzzling over why we have jumped from chapter 10 to chapter 23 in our journey through Proverbs, bear with me because there’s a method to my madness today. I remember being in a conference one time with a guy who had written a book about parenting when he still had young children at home. Fortunately, this was many years later, and he was looking back at his effort with some wry humor at how much he had learned since then. I feel the same. In eighteen years of ministry, I have never preached a sermon about parenting. Honestly, I haven’t even thought about it more than once or twice. Perhaps I will yet someday when I don’t have anymore children at home, and I can be more properly reflective of the whole endeavor. Well, today I am officially a third of the way there, and I can’t help but be a bit reflective.

REad the rest…
Senior women learning computer skills during a digital literacy workshop

In Which Direction Are You Heading?

Leave a comment

“The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. The way of the Lord is a stronghold for the honorable, but destruction awaits evildoers. The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not remain on the earth. The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is appropriate, but the mouth of the wicked, only what is perverse.” (Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭28‬-‭32‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Jesus once described the person who heard His teaching and put it into practice to be like a wise person who built a house securely on a good foundation. When the storms of life arose and brought all their chaos to that person’s life, they were not moved because they had a secure foundation. As well versed in the Scriptures as Jesus was, I suspect He had the proverb in the middle of this last set from chapter 10 in mind. Let’s see what else Solomon has to say here about wise living.

Read the rest…