SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. [Proverbs 12:3] I am just focusing on one proverb today, one that summarizes the wisdom of all of them. The basic message here is that if I want to live a stable, secure, rooted life, I need to choose integrity,…
blessing or woe
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Today’s proverbs contrast wisdom and folly in its many forms. honesty vs. dishonesty humility vs. pride integrity vs. duplicity righteousness vs. riches/trust in riches righteousness vs. wickedness/unfaithfulness/godlessness upright vs. wicked understanding vs. lack of judgment trustworthiness vs. gossip advice vs. lack of guidance indebtedness vs. being in debt kindness vs. ruthlessness kindness…
me and my big mouth
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The next chapters are collections of sayings, covering a variety of topics. Sometimes there are repeated themes, like today. The theme I picked up on was the emphasis on the mouth (chattering lips, tongue): Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. [Proverbs 10:6] The wise…
two voices calling
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. [Proverbs 9:4-5] Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!…
Jesus and wisdom
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. [Proverbs 8:23] Solomon urges his son to pay attention to wisdom because wisdom is a part of the very fabric of creation and life; wisdom was woven into the DNA of created reality. It goes back to before time began. And…
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on every corner
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. [Proverbs 7:11-12] In this parable, Solomon warns his son about how temptation lurks at every corner, and how this naïve youth is seduced. Unaware, unguarded, foolish, he gives in…
walking in the light
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. [Proverbs 6:23] How does a person figure out the right or best way to live? To some extent, it is trial and error. We learn by experience. But at times the consequences…
ensnared or free?
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 5 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. [Proverbs 5:22] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [John 8:34] If you’ve ever seen someone caught in a destructive behaviour, one that they cannot or do not let…
through the storm
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 4 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake…