September 3, 2011

Proverbs 19:1-14 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:
Luke 20:41-47, Hebrews 2:1-9, Isaiah 5-6

Journal Entry

Scripture

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
Desire without knowledge is not good,
and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way
When a man's folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord.
.....
Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and he who breathes out lies will perish.
It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury,
much less for a slave to rule over princes.
Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

Observation

I am often baffled when I read the Proverbs, probably because I am one of those readers who are conditioned to seek narratives, not the torrent of wise advice and observations. But this part of scripture is given to us for our benefit, to instruct, not to entertain. The teaching that I walk away with today is a reminder of what a fool is, to God. The world (that includes me) judges men by their external appearance and achievements. But the internal values and how the compass is set matter more to God than the externals. In the end, as there is always an end, we end up doing what we are in our hearts. Integrity, honesty, knowledge, good sense, patience, longsuffering and a devaluation of physical wealth, all under the good column. And in the foolish category (folly) are dishonesty, crooked speech, a single-minded search for wealth, prestige and ultimately rage against God. I have no arguments with such a tally except that I do have a weakness in the achievement category. Again, the single minded commitment to an outcome often comes at the price of compromised values and I see now that it should be the other way around.

Application

I will seek to avoid living the life of a fool, in God's eyes. Speaking honestly will be my goal for today. Reserving judgment and waiting patiently for others will be a priority.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the wisdom that you wrote out for my benefit, amplifying the conscience that you built into my original equipment. Help me to speak honestly, to think in a way that honors you, to avoid the life of a fool.

--Often foolish, Always hopeful