Wisdom

I've been going through Proverbs and here are the things I highlighted in chapter 11...

vs. 2 - When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Can't get more straightforward than that. Humility and wisdom come together.

vs. 9 - With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

For me, a reminder that growth, in knowledge, is never attainable. It's constant and continued.

vs. 13 - A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

Here's a great definition of gossip, as it's so often skewed. Is trustworthy one of my tombstone words?

vs. 14 - Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.

I love John Maxwell's theory of true leadership - that good leaders raise up and lead leaders, not followers. The idea of leadership is more than just getting people to follow you, and it's riddled with pride.

vs. 20 - The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity.

I heard recently that the wealthiest people alive all have one thing in common - integrity. If you're on autopilot, integrity will flounder. Integrity necessitates devoted effort.

vs. 22 - A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

Sometimes I just highlight verses that are popular so that they're easier to find when I'm looking for them. This is one of those. But none the less, beauty is not everything, obviously. But how quickly do we dismiss a degree of foolishness at the sake of appearances?

vs. 24 - 25 - Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

It's refreshing to be reminded that God's been revealing about his purposes for generous giving thousands of years ago. I also love the NLT's translation of refreshing others and being refreshed. Finances can feel so muddy - they get you to slow down think of all the mistakes and failures. I'll stand by this principle financially for the rest of my life because I've constantly seen it at work - if your finances are in the toilette, give more of it away. Keep in mind, it's just a principle. You can foolishly give against God's plan.

Hopefully I'll get this project I've been working on squared away by tomorrow so I can role it out here. It's something that I've been overtaken by passion for.

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