The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. —Proverbs 15:8 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 pray, … More The prayer of the upright is His delight.
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 will be filled with the fruit of his ways. (ESV) C. H. Spurgeon, in a sermon, “How … More Consider two sponges
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: HOLY awe of God’s Word
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 The importance of guarding the mouth
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. Proverbs 12:1 No one really LOVES getting disciplined, at the time, but when we look back, we can see the benefits. We learn much through the loving correction of others, whether our parents or faithful friends. Proverbs says we are STUPID if we … More Don’t be stupid
C.H. Spurgeon, comments in Morning and Evening: “He that watereth shall be watered also himself.”—Proverbs 11:25 We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must … More Watering others makes us humble
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. Proverbs 11:1 John Piper, in a 1987 sermon, “The Pleasure of God in Public Justice” The implications here are very far-reaching. But let’s get the specific picture clear in our minds. Suppose you were a merchant in the Old … More Piper: God is much more secular than we often think.
When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise. —Proverbs 10:19 Jim Bordwine comments: This is such an interesting verse. It is a verse that serves as one of the foundational principles when it comes to understanding the Biblical doctrine of language, in general, and the use of … More Much talk tends to result in a negative outcome
A longer-than-usual post today, but worth reading the whole thing… John Piper on Proverbs 10:11 (entire sermon text included here) Several things are clear and lie right on the surface of today’s text. The first obvious thing is that God is a lover of life; he likes to promote life, not violence and death. “The … More The mouth of the righteous is a fountain not a factory
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.Proverbs 9: 10 Randy Alcorn, of Eternal Perspective Ministries: In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, volume I of The Chronicles of Narnia, one of the children asks Mr. and Mrs. Beaver about Aslan the … More We all must fear. But if you fear God, you need fear no one and nothing else.
Knowing God through His Word ... Day by Day 