Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Exodus 15:26 “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of … More Good Medicine
Proverbs 17:3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts. God tests us, tests our hearts. Repeatedy in the Bible, we read that HE refines us, tests us, just as precious metals are refined to remove impurities. Read these other passages, and ask yourself what remains after going … More Kindling or gold?
“The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.”— Proverbs 16:33 “God’s dice always have a lucky roll,” said Sophocles, one of classical Athens’ three great tragic playwrights. Here’s what Charles H. Spurgeon has to say, in Morning and Evening: If the disposal of the lot is the … More “God’s dice always have a lucky roll”
Marching Off The Map A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9 Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans. Our lives are subject to detours and corrections that we never expected or imagined. Abraham and Sarah could testify to that. They were planning for … More Marching orders without a map
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. —Proverbs 15:33 C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: When a man is sincerely humble, and never ventures to touch so much as a grain of the praise, there is scarcely any limit to what God will do for him. Humility makes us … More Spurgeon: a sauce with which you may season every dish of life
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. John Piper, in a sermon, “The Pleasure of God in the Prayers of the Upright” My hope is that the effect of this message will not only be that you feel encouraged to … More Piper: Prayer shows the reaches of our poverty and the riches of his grace
In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. (Proverbs 14:26) Erma Bombeck wrote a column about the conflicts that sometimes occur as siblings divide family items after a parent has died. Whether it’s the mixing bowls, grandma’s quilts, or the Christmas ornaments, people are often convinced … More The Legacy of Refuge
C. H. Spurgeon, in a sermon, “How a Man’s Conduct Comes Home to Him” on Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways: and a good man shall be satisfied from himself. (KJV) The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man … More Spurgeon: What a man is by sin or by grace will be the cause of his sorrow or of his satisfaction.
Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. -Proverbs 13:13 From Faith’s Checkbook by C. H. Spurgeon: HOLY awe of God’s Word is at a great discount. Men think themselves wiser than the Word of the Lord, and sit in judgment upon it. “So did not … More Spurgeon: rewards of obedience make us scorn the scorning of the scorner.
From the ESV Study Bible: Prov. 13:1–6 Headed by the call to be a wise son (10:1), these proverbs also utilize a play on words (cf. 10:6–32) relating to both speech (hears/listen, 13:1; mouth, vv. 2–3; lips, v. 3; falsehood,v. 5) and eating/desire (eats, v. 2; desire, v. 2; craves and richly supplied, v. 4) in order to assure those who seek to guard their mouth (v. 3) through righteousness … More Proverbs: Life-saving mouth guards
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 