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Showing posts from March, 2006

Proverbs 27:18

He who tends a fig tree     will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master     will be honored. (NIV) Whatever it is that you do, you should do it well. Look after your job. Don't slack in your parenting. Master each homework assignment that you have to do. Get started on your projects in advance. Keep up to date with what is going on around you. Don't let things slip by without attention. If you can tend the fig trees in your life, then rest assured that, if God is willing to allow you to tarry here, you will eat of the fruit of your labors.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (NIV) A beautiful and profound passage that has etched itself into the hearts of so many people. Praise God for those people in your life who have served this purpose.

Proverbs 27:16

...restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand. (NIV) The mental picture here is descriptive enough. Grasping oil with the hand, or restraining the wind are both impossible things. So, if you have a quarrelsome spouse, the goal is not to restrain. You can't do that anyway. The goal that you must have is to please God in your own life, regardless of what your spouse is doing. Love God first with your own life and efforts. Love those around you next, as a way to love God. You will not change the heart of your spouse, that is God's job anyway. But you can minister to the heart of your spouse, and that is what you should do. I think that this mentality when dealing with difficult or quarrelsome people doesn't just apply to a marriage. It can also apply to many other relationships. Don't seek to restrain those people in your life.

Proverbs 27:15

A quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping on a rainy day; (NIV) Another verse that is very true. When you live with someone who is prone to quarrel about every little thing, it is most definitely like a constant dripping. But for the record, a quarrelsome husband is just as bad.

Proverbs 27:13

Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman. (NIV) This verse is speaking about accountability and keeping your promises. If someone puts up security for a stranger, they do not know how reliable that person is, but they still need to be held accountable. If someone puts up security for a wayward woman, they know that there is a lack of reliability there, but they still need to be held accountable for the security that they put up. Even if the promise that has been made is one that shouldn't have been made, it should be kept.

Proverbs 27:12

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. (NIV) What warning signs are you seeing in your life today? Is there any impending danger that you could take refuge from? What about your actions? Are they leading to any consequences that could be avoided if you would take heed?

Proverbs 27:11

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt. (NIV) I was just talking with some of my students about this the other day. As a son you are a reflection of your parents. If you are wise, you will bring joy to the heart of the parent.

Proverbs 27:10

Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father, and do not go to your brother's house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. (NIV) Once again, we read of the importance of friends. Especially in times of disaster, sometimes it isn't best to go flying back home. Sometimes it is best to call on that friend in your time of need.

Proverbs 27:9

Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one's friend springs from his earnest counsel. (NIV) A friend who can not only tell you the truth, but can tell you the truth in love, that is sweet to the soul.

Proverbs 27:8

Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home. (NIV) A bird knows to tend and care for its nest. A bird knows to leave the nest only to bring food back. Straying from the nest can be detrimental both to the bird and to the ones still in the nest.

Proverbs 27:7

He who is full loathes honey, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet. (NIV) This is so true. When you are full, when you are not in a state of want, then even the sweet things are loathsome to you. Yet when you are hungry, truly hungry, then even the things that you would normally pass by become very satisfying. I think that this can be true in our spiritual lives. When we are around the Word all of the time, it loses its excitement. It becomes mundane. And sometimes to those who are always around it, or have grown up in it, the Bible almost becomes foul tasting. But when you are in a spiritual state of need, or maybe if you just recognize the need that is always there, suddenly even the hard or difficult things of God are so sweet and satisfying.

Proverbs 27:6

Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. (NIV) True friendship doesn't stop all hardships. With true friendship there is still the possibility the occasional wound. But it is a wound that can be trusted. It shows a reality and a fellowship that can be had. But "kisses" can't always be trusted. Many times they are not true in their intents.