Proverbs 3:4 "So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man" The reason why one should permanently tie love and truth to one’s life is that it results in favorable relationship with God and mankind. This is the ultimate “How to win friends and influence people” verse. In fact, this is the basis of all successful People Skill Courses. You are attempting to win favor with others when you learn people skills. We are, because of our fallen nature, internally

Proverbs 22:3 "The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on, and are punished for it" Solomon is trying to help people see a truth that is always raising its head. In a world full of sinful, selfish people – a fallen world – stuff happens that is bad. Are you prepared for those eventualities? The more naive a person is, the less they prepare and then they will pay a heavy price. When you enter into an agreement or begin enjoying a situation – especially on

Proverbs 21:3 "To do righteousness and justice is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice" Which is more desired by God: to obey or to repent when you do something bad? Clearly it is to obey and do the thing right the first time. One of the things that my children did not completely grasp is that saying "I'm sorry" did not fix a relational problem especially when the "I'm sorry" was said half-heartedly. I wanted my daughter to realize before she hit her sisters or tried to t

Proverbs 20:3 "Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, but any fool will quarrel" This passage is a continuation of the idea discussed in the previous verse (20:2): the anger of the leader. The fool is the person who just constantly needs to point out the other point of view; who needs to be right; who needs to be noticed even when it is not helpful to be right. When you do not have to cross swords or expectations with those around you, then you would be wise to avoid

Proverbs 18:3 "When a wicked man comes contempt also comes, and with dishonor comes scorn" This is an interesting lesson in people and wisdom. What God is telling us is that if you have a person who violates the Ten Commandments (wicked), they will also bring with them contempt. In other words a person who would curse, dishonor parents, murder, commit adultery, lie, steal, covet will also downgrade others. They may be joyful and full of life when you are sharing their sin, bu

Proverbs 13:2 "From the fruit of a man's mouth he enjoys good, but the desire of the treacherous is violence" Solomon noticed that it is not essentially a man's talent or ability that causes him to prosper but his people skills. That is what this nugget on wisdom tells us. You can have tremendous abilities, talents, and gifts; but if you are a jerk, you will not succeed. We must all learn how to talk to other people in a positive and constructive way. It is what you say that