Our church went through the book of Proverbs this summer. I put together an acrostic as kind of a review, but I think it works equally well as an introduction to the book—if you don’t take it as any sort of final word but use it as a starting point for stepping into this wonderfulContinue reading “Getting Started in Proverbs”
Category Archives: Proverbs
The Disciple and Opportunity
A man had fallen into an old, dry well and was stuck at the bottom. He called out for help and finally someone came by. The person lowered a rope down to the man. The man grabbed the rope, looked at it, and asked, “What happens if this rope breaks?” Fortunately, the person on topContinue reading “The Disciple and Opportunity”
Proverbs and Love
The word “love” occurs 31 times in Proverbs—that’s once for every chapter. And why not? Love is a basic human need. You can own the world but if you don’t have love—it’s all kind of meaningless, isn’t it? On the other hand, if you have love, it changes everything. It was Victor Hugo who wrote,Continue reading “Proverbs and Love”
Guarding Our Hearts
“Heart” is a huge word in Proverbs—it is used 75 times in 31 chapters! The heart is at the center of who and what we are. It is where we process life—where attitudes are formed and actions are determined. It is the command post of our being. According to Proverbs, our life is a reflectionContinue reading “Guarding Our Hearts”
Pride and Humility
You don’t have to read much of Proverbs before you understand the writer likes to use contrast to make his point. He tells us in 1:7 that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” He does the same kind of thing in v. 32-33. Then thereContinue reading “Pride and Humility”
The Disciple And Freed Speech (2)
The book of Proverbs is full of powerful passages about our speech. A good place to begin is in 18:21 where the writer tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Framing it in such absolute terms gets our attention—but it’s more than that the writer is after. Words can bring deathContinue reading “The Disciple And Freed Speech (2)”
The Disciple And Freed Speech (1)
I remember a man, a WW II veteran, who liked to say that free speech wasn’t free—it came at the cost of the lives of the people who fought to preserve it. It was a needed reminder of the difference between an entitlement and a legacy. It is not helpful or healthy to think ofContinue reading “The Disciple And Freed Speech (1)”
Overcoming Bad Choices
1. All choices have consequences. I throw a rock into a pond and the water ripples. The ripples are the result of me choosing to throw the rock. 2. You cannot have choices without consequences—life doesn’t work that way. If I choose to throw a rock into the pond (unless it is winter and the pond isContinue reading “Overcoming Bad Choices”
Proverbs And Corporal Punishment
Five times in the book of Proverbs the writer encourages his readers to employ the rod in disciplining children (13:24, 22:15, 23:13, 23:14, 29:15). Though some contend that “rod” is used in a figurative rather than a literal sense, there’s no real evidence for that. Since a word is to be understood literally unless weContinue reading “Proverbs And Corporal Punishment”
Something We Should Value
The word discipline is used 16 x’s in the book of Proverbs. That’s more than in any other book of the Bible and accounts for about 25% of its total occurrences in the Scripture. Obviously then, Proverbs has some important things to say about discipline. Discipline is an important part of human development—no one can move toContinue reading “Something We Should Value”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 