“Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands. Whoever lives with integrity fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises him. The proud speech of a fool brings a rod of discipline, but the lips of the wise protect them. Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox. An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness utters lies.” (Proverbs 14:1-5 CSB – Read the chapter)
Christians are known for all kinds of things. Some of them are pretty good things. Others…not so much. In fact, culturally speaking, thanks to our own foolish efforts combined with the work of an enemy who works overtime to discredit us, we’re probably known more for the not so good things than the good ones. This is not what Jesus envisioned for His followers. He gave us one thing and one thing only that should be our primary identifier: love. This was a revolutionary idea, but it wasn’t necessarily a new one in terms of the reputation God intended for His people to have. Let’s talk about that and some other ideas as we get into the first set of proverbs in chapter 14 today.
Read the rest…
