Good Job

(Pro 25:27 KJV)  It is not good to eat much honey: so for men to search their own glory is not glory.

Did you notice that  “glory” (3519b) is used twice in one phrase?  That tells us two things.  First, something that some don’t like to admit, there is such a thing as being worthy of approval.  Maybe not praise but certainly approval.  Second, we should not be pursuing such praise.  

This is a hard balance to keep.  There are numerous places where we are reminded not to toot our own horn or place ourselves in the driver’s seat.  We often are in too much of a hurry when it comes to such things.  

So?  Don’t develop a false modesty.  It isn’t really necessary.  Accept the good things people say but don’t let it go to your head.  I think we all want to hear “Well done, though good and faithful servant” more than deceitful praise of man. 

Pay Attention

(Pro 24:32 KJV)  Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

It is amazing how many things we can learn just by paying attention.  A bit of research might be necessary.  A bit of experimentation might be in order, but we can learn and grow.  

Years ago I was out in the woods at a campsite that had running water and a propane tank.  When we arrived and turned on the water we found that the pipes had not been drained properly.  I had never worked with copper pipe before but I had watched others.  It took me three trips down the hill but the knowledge I had gained by paying attention eventually paid off.

So?  There is a reason to pay attention even when we don’t think what is happening applies to us.  You never know.  God prepares us in unusual ways. 

Beware the Second Step

(Pro 23:1 KJV)  When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

As I began reading this chapter my first thought was that I will never “dine” (3898b) with any “ruler” (4910).  As I kept reading another thought jumped out at me,

(Pro 23:6 NAS77) Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies;

I am sure that I know some selfish men and there is a chance I will eat with them.  Then I had a third that tried to wake me up,

(Pro 23:9 NAS77) Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

I know I come in constant contact with fools.  By definition they are people who have no fear of the Lord and those people run just about everything.

Yet we survive.  We are so used to going through our day without thinking.  Did you seriously plan out every move when you took your shower this morning or were you on autopilot?  Or we get to thinking about something and miss the obvious.  Have you every driven past your turn-off because you were in the middle of a great story.  As kids we used to get hilarious when my dad did it.

We can get so carried away with these warnings that we become total bores, but it might do us a bit of good to consider the ideas.  We have all been in situations where we are offered some treat and feel compelled by courtesy to partake.  That is understandable in most situations but then we go on and have a second helping, so to speak.

So?  Everyone around you does not have your best interest at heart.  They may even think they are doing it for you but often they do it in such a way as to build their ego more than your character.  Take the desert but don’t fall for the idea that this one time won’t go straight to your waist.

Cast the Stone

(Pro 22:10 KJV)  Cast out the scorner, and contention shall go out; yea, strife and reproach shall cease.

“Contention” (4066) is a major evil in our homes, churches and communities.  The people who spread it do not have a happy future.  The people who have to live with it need a constant influx of grace to deal with it.  Sometimes you can do something about it.  You can vote members off the church board.  You can leave a church or get a new job.  Sometimes you cannot do much.  Marriage is one of the ways in which the word is used.  The solution there seems to be staying as far away from the trouble maker as possible.

So?  My first concern is to examine my own life and make sure I am not one who brings strife.  It is always hard to see things in yourself but it won’t happen at all unless we are aware of the potential.  If it is any consolation there is one verse that says the disaster that awaits the contentious will come suddenly. 

Mouth Guard

(Pro 21:23 KJV)  Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
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This is an often repeated warning in Proverbs.  As I read it I thought of the taste of dirty socks that often fills my day from saying things out of line.  As I was looking at the verb, “keepeth” (guards NASB) (8104), I noticed that one of the translations was “observe”.  It is used 38 times in the NASB and 41 in the KJV.  I looked at a few times it was used and noticed that it meant to observe the Passover.  Interesting.

This is the kind of care that looks ahead to what is going to be needed.  If we consider our words and their effect over the long haul then we might say things differently.  We might say things not at all.  I recently had a conversation where the subject came up of someone using what had been written in a letter in a harmful way.  Literally.  That was the concern.  If you are speaking to the wrong person even statements meant as support or encouragement can be used against us.

There is a point where it gets foolish to worry.  Our lives are in God’s hands and He knows our hearts.  We can’t do much about the twisted souls we rub elbows with.  At the same time it is good to have a word of caution.

So?  Speak with love and kindness.  When it comes back to you it will be either a blessing or a twisted mess that will not wilt your soul. 

Save It for the Used Car Lot

(Pro 20:14 KJV)  It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

I am not sure if this is a criticism or a complement.  We have all been to yard sales and flea markets where there is bargaining and haggling going on.  Perhaps you have bought a used car.  The buyer points out every dent.  The seller praises its dependability.   All of those are just a part of a barter economy.  

One place it can be a problem is when it bleeds over into our personal contacts. It seems necessary for some people to point out every flaw I have or they think I have.  Since I already know my weak points pretty well it gets a bit boring.  It hurts anyway.

So?  I try to think that everyone around me has thin skin.  It may not make their day but it moves me toward being a better person.

Mixed Messages

(Pro 19:13-14 KJV)  A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.  House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.

I find Solomon to be a moody writer.  If you consider this verse and the next one you get two different pictures of marriage.  If you look at the previous chapter you find out that a wife is a gift from the Lord.  If you do a study of “contentious” (4066) you will find that wives are a favorite noun for this adjective.  

So which is it?  As is to often in the Bible, it remains true to life and addresses more than just a party line.  It requires study, thought, prayer and action.  Kind of like marriage.