Overcoming Wickedness
“When the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes, but the godly will live to see their downfall.” Pro 29:16 NLT There is both an observation and a promise in this week’s Proverb. The observation: “when the wicked are in authority, sin flourishes.” The promise? “The godly will live to see their downfall.” Wickedness ends in […]
Fake or Fact?
“If a ruler pays attention to liars, all his advisers will be wicked. Pro 29:12 NLT In this world we live in of free-flowing information, fake news and AI, it is more important than ever that we nurture a discerning spirit and hunger for the truth. This proverb reminds us that when we are […]
Fools Vent Their Anger
“A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.” Pro 29:11 NKJV Anger is a difficult thing to manage because too often it is upon us before we realize it – and then we face the task of having to hold it back – to keep it from rising to the […]
Stop the Hate
“The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them.” Pro 29:10 NLT In a sinful and fallen world there is something that provokes the wicked when they see a man of true integrity. Today’s proverb tells us about ” bloodthirsty men,” and how they hate men of integrity. There is something about […]
What Agitates a Crowd?
“Mockers can get a whole town agitated, but the wise will calm anger.” Pro 29:8 NLT Mockers are an amplified version of fools. They are the worst offenders, they are so settled in their combative, cynical rejection of God that they may bring the judgement of God on their entire community. Mocking is often contagious […]
Do You Remember?
“The godly care about the rights of the poor; the wicked don’t care at all.” Proverbs 29:7 NLT Every once in a while, we all need a good reminder. Life can happen we have different circumstances and priorities, even for good things, and we can find ourselves with our eyes on ourselves and inattentive to the […]
Don’t Be Ensnared
“An evil man is ensnared in his transgression, but a righteous man sings and rejoices.” Pro 29:6 ESV Given the choice between being trapped and being set free, no one chooses to be trapped. Yet it is our very choices that determine if we will be trapped or not, or as worded in this verse. […]
National Stability
“A just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it.” Pro 29:4 NLT What makes a nation stable? According to this proverb, the thing that makes any nation stable is when that nation has a king who enforces justice. This is not exactly an easy thing to understand because in […]
Do You Need More Information?
“Those who trust their own insight are foolish, but anyone who walks in wisdom is safe.” Pro 28:26 NLT Recently when making some plans for the future, there were elements that I wasn’t quite sure how they were going to work out. In fact, I still don’t. I recall speaking with a friend and commented, […]
Strife vs. Trust
“A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.” Pro 28:25 ESV When we approach any new situation, we choose how we approach it. The arrogant person approached it with strife, the godly with trust. Are we going to be filled with strife, or are we going […]