Today’s passage: Proverbs 14
Helpful thoughts:
- Fearing the Lord precedes walking in righteousness. Despising Him precedes walking foolishly.
- Verse 4 can be a great encouragement and reminder in our service as a church! Things may not always go the way we want. The final product may never turn out exactly as you hoped. It’s better to have “dirty stalls” and fruitful church than the alternative.
- We can feel very passionately about something and be entirely wrong about it. (Verse 12)
- When our feelings line up with truth, more positive feelings will come as we act out according to truth.
- When our feelings oppose the truth and if we decide to follow our feelings instead, worse feelings will result as we suffer the consequences of our poor choices.
- Righteousness exalts a nation. Sinfully calling others out for their sin only adds to the reproach.
Questions to consider:
- Do you think verse 20 is an instruction or a sad commentary on our natural responses? What would the instruction be if we understand this proverb correctly?
- What is consistently true of those who are quick tempered or impulsive? What do these proverbs offer as the alternative to being quick to anger? How can we slow our tempers down? How will that bless us and others?
- Which proverb sticks out the most to you? How can you put it into practice today?
Prayer:
Father, we pray our church would fear you, pursue understanding, and be quick to love. That we would regard you highly as you deserve. We pray that we would love because you first loved us (1 John 4:19). May we see “dirty oxen stalls” as a blessing because it means they were used to build the kingdom. May we see our conversations as tools to accomplish good that results in actions and fruit. Please give us sound hearts, rooted in your wisdom, satisfied with your abounding love, ready to do your work.