2017
Proverbs 11:6 The Righteous, again_
The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed. Proverbs 11:6 NASB This proverb is very similar to the previous: Solomon continues to distinguish between the righteous and wicked. There are serious benefits to being righteous. How many situations do we get into in our life?…
Read MoreProverbs 11:5 Righteous and Wicked_
The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness. Proverbs 11:5 NASB As I’m reading through the Proverbs, I get to this one and think, “duh!” Hasn’t this already been said in so many ways and we’re only in chapter 11 of a book with 31…
Read MoreProverbs 11:4 What money cannot buy_
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. Proverbs 11:4 NIV What a simple and straightforward proverb: The best of my efforts cannot buy my way into innocence on a day of accounting that is sure to come. But when that day comes, similar to when the angel of death…
Read MoreProverbs 11:3 Integrity_
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Proverbs 11:3 NIV The word “integrity” among believers has come to mean honesty, or being morally upright. The Hebrew can mean “completeness, fullness, morally innocent, simplicity.” I personally like the word picture provided by the English definition: the state of…
Read MoreProverbs 11:2 Stay little, stay hungry_
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 NIV I am loved! Within the fabric of my soul I have intrinsic value as a person. It’s within my spiritual and physical DNA. When I was born, I am worth something. God put it there when He created me. But as…
Read MoreProverbs 11:1 A perfect stone_
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, But a just weight is His delight. Proverbs 11:1 NASB Solomon is reflecting on what Moses wrote in the law: You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and…
Read MoreJohn 3:27 The case against pride_
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. John 3:27 NKJV When John the Baptist said this, there was a transition happening – the baton of ministry being passed from John to Jesus. After he was killed, Jesus said of John that among those born…
Read MoreJohn 3:19-21 Light or Darkness_
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth…
Read MoreJohn 3:18 Already Judged_
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:18 The word judgement sounds so final, and in our 21st century context, is often not a positive term. In a legal…
Read MoreProverbs 10:32 Words_
The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, But the mouth of the wicked what is perverted. Proverbs 10:32 NASB It’s fitting to end chapter 10 with a Proverb about our words. Rotherham translates it: “The lips of the righteous know what is pleasing, but the mouth of the lawless speaks perversities.”…
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