This particular proverb is about where to find wisdom and the consequences for a lack of depth in your soul. It rhymes with the verse before

Proverbs 12:8 "A man will be praised according to his insight, but one of perverse mind will be despised" The word insight is the Hebrew word sekel, which means understanding. This is almost synonymous with the word bin, which means to distinguish between and, therefore, to discern connections. This word also carries with it a penetrating analysis of the reasons a thing happened or was successful. This is the reason why the translators used the word insight to translate the w

Are you a stressed out mess? Do you long for peace and quiet? Does your life feel like it’s spiraling out of control? I've been there, friend, believe me! At one time or another, we have all experienced feelings of being out of control. When we aren’t experiencing order, or balance, in our lives, it creates anxiety, panic, confusion, and a sense of feeling helpless. This happens for one of four reasons: We have allowed some area of our life (or person) to take more of our ene

Last time, in Whose Light Are You Following?, I talked about Jesus as our “L” light and the wonderful fact that we don’t have to wander aimlessly through life not knowing who we are or where we’re going. In case you missed it, click HERE. This week, I want to talk about something that is very hard for many, many people - following. We all want to lead or go our own way, but Jesus is clear that he's the One to follow (Matt. 10:38). So what does it mean to actually follow him a

Recently, I was listening to a podcast by Ravi Zacharias, a great apologist and author, whom I respect very much. In his podcast titled Jesus Among Other Gods Part 2, he posed some very good questions: “When you are looking for life, how do you decide on life’s perfection? How do you know what life is meant to be like?” In this world, we all have unique challenges and situations to overcome. There are many people facing extremely difficult issues but continue to wander around

Proverbs 10:4 "Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" poor is he who works with a negligent hand The word poor is the word that refers to those who are destitute or have little or nothing. They have less than they really need. The principle here is that those who have less than they need have in some way been negligent. They had an opportunity to obtain what they needed, but at some point in the past they did not take advantage of

Proverbs 9:4 "Whoever is naive, let him turn in here! To him who lacks understanding she says, Come eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed." The naive see everything as much more simple than it really is, and they need to come to someone who has achieved what they want to achieve and ask them for the real truths that bring about that level of success. This is truth, whether it is the corporate executive of a large company, the successful housewife in a loving and

Proverbs 7:4 "Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister,' and call understanding your intimate friend" Notice that there are two separate items that a person needs to draw close to in this proverb – both wisdom and understanding. Wisdom is the ability to choose the triple-win choice and to take the triple-win action: the one by which God is glorified, others are benefited, and you are profited. All three sighting mechanisms must be lined up, not just one or two. Understanding is the

Proverbs 1:4 "To give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion" to give prudence to the naive prudence The word translated prudence is the Hebrew word arom which has both a positive and negative meaning. When used negatively, it means a crafty schemer – one who plans out destructive, sinful things. When used positively, it means prudence. The English dictionary definition of the word prudence is a quality which allows a person to always choose the sensible

Proverbs 30:3 "Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One" These are the stylized ways of showing humility. Our culture has largely forgotten that it is not wise or righteous to brag about yourself and the people you know. In this proverb, Agur is stating the obvious. He does not know all there is to know. He does not know all about God and His ways. While almost everyone would admit that, many in our day and age parade around like they know ev

Proverbs 2:2 "Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding" One of the main messages of the book of Proverbs is that wisdom is all around if we would just look for it and be sensitive to it when it shows up. make your ear attentive to wisdom Solomon tells us that we must make our ear attentive to wisdom. The word ear is the Hebrew word ozen which means ear or the part of the body that interprets symbolic language or a person's responsiveness to comma