Proverbs (Page 3)

Wisdom’s Virtues A simple, humble life with peace and quiet is far better than an opulent lifestyle with nothing but quarrels and strife at home. A wise, intelligent servant will be honored above a shameful son. He’ll even end up having a portion left to him in his master’s will. In the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire, the Lord purifies your heart by the tests and trials of life. Those eager to embrace evil listen…

Walking with Wisdom The one with a wise heart is called “discerning,” and speaking sweetly to others makes your teaching even more convincing. Wisdom is a deep well of understanding opened up within you as a fountain of life for others, but it’s senseless to try to instruct a fool. Winsome words pour from a heart of wisdom, adding value to all you teach. Nothing is more appealing than speaking beautiful, life-giving words. For they release sweetness to our souls…

Wisdom Exalts God Go ahead and make all the plans you want, but it’s the Lord who will ultimately direct your steps. We are all in love with our own opinions, convinced they’re correct. But the Lord is in the midst of us, testing and probing our every motive. Before you do anything, put your trust totally in God and not in yourself. Then every plan you make will succeed. The Lord works everything together to accomplish his purpose. Even…

Living an Ascended Life A cheerful heart puts a smile on your face, but a broken heart leads to depression. Lovers of God hunger after truth, but those without understanding feast on foolishness and don’t even realize it. Everything seems to go wrong when you feel weak and depressed. But when you choose to be cheerful, every day will bring you more and more joy and fullness. It’s much better to live simply, surrounded in holy awe and worship of…

Wisdom Far Better than Wickedness Respond gently when you are confronted and you’ll defuse the rage of another. Responding with sharp, cutting words will only make it worse. Don’t you know that being angry can ruin the testimony of even the wisest of men? When wisdom speaks, understanding becomes attractive. But the words of the fool make their ignorance look laughable. The eyes of the Lord are everywhere and he takes note of everything that happens. He watches over his…

…The House of Wisdom The naïve demonstrate a lack of wisdom, but the lovers of wisdom are crowned with revelation-knowledge. Evil ones will pay tribute to good people and eventually come to be servants of the godly. The poor are disliked even by their neighbors, but everyone wants to get close to the wealthy. It’s a sin to despise one who is less fortunate than you, but when you are kind to the poor, you will prosper and be blessed.…

The House of Wisdom Every wise woman encourages and builds up her family, but a foolish woman over time will tear it down by her own actions. Lovers of truth follow the right path because of their wonderment and worship of God. But the devious display their disdain for him. The words of a proud fool will all come back to haunt him. But the words of the wise will become a shield of protection around them. The only clean…

…Living Wisely When the lovers of God teach you truth, a fountain of life opens up within you, and their wise instruction will deliver you from the ways of death. Everyone admires a wise, sensible person, but the treacherous walk on the path of ruin. Everything a wise and shrewd man does comes from a source of revelation-knowledge, but the behavior of a fool puts foolishness on parade! An undependable messenger causes a lot of trouble, but the trustworthy and…

Living Wisely A wise son or daughter desires a father’s discipline, but the know-it-all never listens to correction. The words of the wise are kind and easy to swallow, but the unbeliever just wants to pick a fight and argue. Guard your words and you’ll guard your life, but if you don’t control your tongue, it will ruin everything. The slacker wants it all and ends up with nothing, but the hard worker ends up with all that he longed…

Learning to Speak Wisely If you shrug off an insult and refuse to take offense, you demonstrate discretion indeed. But the fool has a short fuse and will immediately let you know when he’s offended. Truthfulness marks the righteous, but the habitual liar can never be trusted. Reckless words are like the thrusts of a sword, cutting remarks meant to stab and to hurt. But the words of the wise soothe and heal. Truthful words will stand the test of…