Nurturing a Joyful Heart
Nurturing a Joyful Heart “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 ESV There are a few unique moments in our lives when we can experience joy and sadness at the same time. I think of those transitionary moments of when a child goes to school for the […]
“Let Me Know if You Need Anything”
“Let Me Know if You Need Anything” “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Proverbs 17:17 NLT “Let me know if you need anything.“ Another common expression, but too often it is just an expression without execution. What do I mean? The statement may come from the […]
Truth and Justice
Truth and Justice “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.” Proverbs 17:15 ESV When I was a boy invariably there were summer evenings that would include a game of “cops and robbers” in the neighborhood. In those days in the early 70’s, to be […]
Don’t Open the Floodgate
Don’t Open the Floodgate! “Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14 NLT I don’t know about you, but I have never opened a floodgates. I have however, watched what happened in Houston a couple of years back when they did just that. Certainly not intended, but the […]
Let it Go
Let it Go “He who covers and forgives an offense seeks love, But he who repeats or gossips about a matter separates intimate friends.” Proverbs 17:9 AMP I don’t know about you, but I have done some pretty foolish things in my life. I have made mistakes and I have done and said things that have […]
When You See the Poor
When You See the Poor “Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker; he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 17:5 ESV Mock the poor? Glad at calamity? Who would do such things? Those who look down on others. Those who might even consider themselves better, not just more fortunate, somehow. […]
Exposure Warning
Exposure Warning! “An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.” Proverbs 17:4 ESV We might come to a passage like the one we read this week, and think; (whether in gratitude or pride), “that is them, not me”. Or we might linger on the verse a little longer and consider the […]
Why is there a test?
Why is there a test? A Walk Through Proverbs “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” Proverbs 17:3 ESV Remember those tests in school? Just the word might produce an anxiety about what was to come. At least for me, the anxiety was inversely proportional to just […]
The Wise Servant
The Wise Servant A Walk Through Proverbs A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers. Proverbs 17:2 ESV There are a few stories of those who are born into fortunate families that are appreciative of what they have been […]
A Dry Morsel is Better
A Dry Morsel is Better “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.” Proverbs 17:1 ESV A dry morsel and quiet. One is for the stomach, the other for the soul. Which is better? A stomach satisfied with a dry morsel in a quiet house, or a stomach […]
