Skip to main content

Twenty-Five Proverbs to Mull Over

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart

       and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him,

       and he will make your paths straight. (3:5-6)

 

Work

Lazy hands make a man poor,

       but diligent hands bring wealth. (10:4)

 

 He who works his land will have abundant food,

       but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. (12:11)

 

Words

He who guards his lips guards his life,

       but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin. (13:3)

 

The tongue has the power of life and death,

       and those who love it will eat its fruit. (18:21)

 

 For lack of guidance a nation falls,

       but many advisers make victory sure. (11:14)

 

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke

       will be at home among the wise. (15:31)

 

A gossip betrays a confidence;

       so avoid a man who talks too much. (20:19)

 

Wages

Dishonest money dwindles away,

       but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (13:11)

 

A generous man will prosper;

       he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (11:25)

 

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor,

       he too will cry out and not be answered. (21:13)

 

How much better to get wisdom than gold,

       to choose understanding rather than silver! (16:16)

 

Will

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,

       and your plans will succeed. (16:3)

 

Plans fail for lack of counsel,

       but with many advisers they succeed. (15:22)

 

A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,

       but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. (12:4)

 

Pride goes before destruction,

       a haughty spirit before a fall. (16:18)

 

It is not good to have zeal without knowledge,

       nor to be hasty and miss the way. (19:2)

 

Many are the plans in a man's heart,

       but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. (19:21)

 

Wisdom

He who walks with the wise grows wise,

       but a companion of fools suffers harm. (13:20)

 

Many a man claims to have unfailing love,

       but a faithful man who can find? (20:6)

 

A fool shows his annoyance at once,

       but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (12:16)

 

A man of many companions may come to ruin,

       but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (18:24)

 

He who conceals his sins does not prosper,

       but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (28:13)

 

The first to present his case seems right,

       till another comes forward and questions him. (18:17)

 

The glory of young men is their strength,

       gray hair the splendor of the old. (20:29)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 'Greatest' Theologian/Preacher/Christian Philosopher

Here's a fun little discussion for us. Who is the greatest theologian since the apostle Paul? Sounds too subjective, but here are some criteria to evaluate by: 1) Personal life - Did this person's personal character reflect his convictions effectively? 2) Breadth of Influence - How wide and long has this person's influence effected the church and the world? 3) Depth of thought - How careful, biblical, and articulate were this persons's works? My vote to come...
8 comments
Read more

Remember Miss Bates from Mere Christianity

C. S. Lewis imagines two people: one Miss Bates, a naturally cranky unkind woman who becomes a Christian and the other Dick Firkin, a naturally friendly kind person who has not yet become a Christian. “Christian Miss Bates may have an unkinder tongue than unbelieving Dick Firkin. That, by itself, does not tell us whether Christianity works. The question is what Jane’s tongue would be like if she were not a Christian and what Dick’s would be like if he became one. Miss Bates and Dick, as a result of natural causes and early upbringing, have certain temperaments: Christianity professes to put both temperaments under new management if they will allow it to do so. What you have a right to ask is whether that management, if allowed to take over, improves the concern. Everyone knows that what is being managed in Dick Firkin’s case is much ‘nicer’ than what is being managed in Miss Bates’. That is not the point. To judge the management of a factory, you must consider not only the
Post a Comment
Read more

Does Church History Matter?

In a so called unprecedented age, where all of Christianity is re-inventing itself, and all of Christian doctrine is up for re-writing , one must ask the question "Does church history matter?" (Just to write this almost makes me cringe at how unbelievably near-sighted my generation has become!) If we say 'yes it matters' too emphatically, the response will be "Why are you Protestants then?" Didn't Luther radically depart from centuries of theological teaching. One common criticism against Luther (and the Reformation) was "Can you alone be right and the whole world be wrong?" And, when Luther talks about Sola Scriptura, isn't he saying Scripture is all that matters? A few things about Luther. First, his Sola Scriptura argument was not that Scripture is the only authority for the church, but that Scripture alone is the final authority for the church. According to Luther, there can be, indeed should be, lesser authorities, including pasto
5 comments
Read more