Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
Summary: The Bible reminds us once again that we live in two worlds. The physical realm is temporary, the spiritual realm is eternal. The world tries to ignore the spirit and sells us temporary trinkets. God wants us to trust and love him so that we might inherit eternal treasure.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8: 18 — Two Worlds”
Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
Summary: Wisdom brings with her some serious help. The four allies mentioned in today’s text are essential for successfully navigating worldly challenges.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8: 14 — Wisdom’s Entourage”
To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
Summary: Someone who thinks about themselves all the time is egocentric. Someone who thinks their definition of evil is the only one that counts is also egocentric. The reason we fear the Lord is not that God is egocentric, but that he is all-powerful. Our opinions about evil are a passing thought. God’s view of evil is eternal.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8: 13 — Evil”
“I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.”
Summary: Wisdom, prudence, knowledge, and discretion are four aspects of spiritual strength. How we implement this strength in our daily lives depends on how we see our relationship with God and his Word.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8:12 — Roommates “
Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Summary: Instruction is important, but the bigger question is what kind of instruction are we getting? Wisdom calls us to choose her instruction. Now, if we can only find the right classroom…
Continue reading “Proverbs 8: 10-11 — Good versus Bad”
All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Summary: Can we “taste” spiritual truth? In a very real sense, yes we can. To be able to discern truth from a lie we need to use wisdom. Fortunately for us, wisdom is ready and willing to help.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8: 8-9 — Spiritual Diet”
My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
Summary: Solomon’s reference to lips detesting wickedness brings to mind the power of taste. How is our taste developed? Today we look at one small aspect of this question.
Continue reading “Proverbs 8:7 — Taste Tester”
To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
Summary: In the movie “Forrest Gump” Forrest says, “Stupid is as stupid does.” There is a lot of wisdom in those five words. So what is wisdom, and why is she making so much noise?
Continue reading “Proverbs 8:4 — The Call”
Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.
Summary: Solomon continues to pound on the topic of adultery reminding us once again that breaking the marriage relationship is a ticket to hell.
Continue reading “Proverbs 7:27 — Perspective”
But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.
Summary: Adultery is a very personal crime. It is not so much a crime against the law as it is a crime against the heart. Today’s meditation gives us a peek into the heart of God.
Continue reading “Proverbs 6:27-28 — Self-Destruction”