Tag: Pursuing Wisdom

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…
An open, ancient Bible resting on a weathered wooden surface, bathed in warm, directional light streaming through a window. The light illuminates the pages with a sense of truth and clarity. The mood is contemplative and honest — neither overly dramatic nor soft. Subtle dust particles float in the beam of light. The image conveys candor, trustworthiness, and the weight of timeless words. Photorealistic style.

Telling It Like It Is

Leave a comment

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses. Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of the one who lacks sense. The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool hastens destruction. The wealth of the rich is his fortified city; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.” (Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the things we expect from the Scriptures, is for them to tell us how the world should be. The world isn’t that, and they give us guidance on how to get from here to there. Of course, there are plenty of passages that tell us how and why we are wrong. We naturally expect to find those there as well. And, all of this, of course, falls under the heading of judgment. One of the things we don’t expect to find in the Scriptures, though, are verses that simply tell us without judgment how the world is. While there are many proverbs that point us toward bringing our lives more in line with God’s righteousness, there are a few that simply describe the world as it currently exists. We find one of those in this next group of proverbs. Let’s take a look together.

Read the rest…
Multigenerational family dining together around a table with framed family quote

Who Do You Know?

Leave a comment

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit; if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.” (Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Who has your highest respect? Who is the person you look up to more than any other; whose opinion controls your decision making most of all? That person will direct the course of your life. That person has a power over you that will make your life either happy or terrible. Choose that person wisely, because if you don’t, the consequences will be awful. Solomon has a suggestion of who that person should be here. Let’s take a look.

Read the rest…
Two children play on a tire swing in a refugee camp at sunset

Unwelcome Counsel

Leave a comment

“The one who corrects a mocker will bring abuse on himself; the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt. Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke the wise, and he will love you. Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Have you ever had someone try to give you advice you didn’t want? My guess is that you didn’t receive it so graciously. Perhaps if you had been taught by your parents to always be polite you expressed some gratitude, but inside you knew just exactly what you were going to do with that advice: nothing. And you were probably going to resent the person for giving it to you unsolicited in the first place. You might have even determined that you were going to do the opposite out of spite. In that situation, you were playing the part of a mocker. That’s not a great role to play. Let’s talk about it.

Read the rest…