Proverbs

Laziness puts a person and all their dependents at risk. Idleness will not provide for the needs of today. Working half-heartedly will jeopardize the wherewithal to meet the needs of tomorrow.

Laziness produces poverty—in all areas of life. It keeps us from being all God intended us to be, whether at home, work, or worship. Laziness is a lack of discipline that will keep us out of shape physically and spiritually. Poverty, in all forms, will come upon us “like a robber” and steal the blessings of God.

Scripture describes those who refuse repeated warnings as “stiff-necked.” Their pride will not allow them to “bend” to others. They will live life in their time frame and on their terms. It will seem to them, for a while at least, that they were right and everybody else was wrong.

We can’t always control how our children will respond. Sometimes they will need to learn life’s lessons through their own failures. But, parents, never give up on them even when it seems like they are not listening. The older they get, the smarter you get.

We are all “prone to wander,” and the decision we make when confronted is multi-layered. The decision not only impacts us but those around us. When we heed instruction, we show the “path to life” for others. When we ignore reproof, we lead “others astray.” It’s a pretty big decision, isn’t it?

In today’s passage, wisdom (personified) cries out in the noisy streets and reminds all who will listen that she is willing and ready to pour out her spirit to all who will listen and respond to her correction. But to those who reject her, terror will strike them “like a storm” and calamity will sweep over them “like a whirlwind” (Proverbs 1:27).

So, for all those who “know it all,” there is still a lot of learning to do. When you desire obedience, you will love attaining knowledge even when the truth hurts and demands a change in your life. 

A “man of wrath” is controlled by anger. You know the type. They are constantly railing about something. The government. The educational system. Their business partners. The neighbors. How someone treated them at a particular restaurant.

I do not and cannot live in a bubble. This is the real world. Things will occur that make me angry. But here is the question: Will I control my anger, or will my anger control me?