Proverbs 13:15

Good judgment wins favor,
   but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

Being a Christian is going to be the hardest thing you will ever do.  The standards are high, the path is small, and the gate is narrow.  It is a long race of endurance and in the end it will cost you everything to run it.  Jesus asks his disciples to deny themselves and carry the cross, to suffer persecutions for his Name's sake, and to give up their mother and father, brothers and sisters, wives and children, and even their own lives so that Jesus takes precedence.  He asks you to leave everything and come follow him.  Indeed, the way of God is costly.

But even more costly is the way of the unfaithful.  They breed misery and destruction.  They hunger for more and are never satisfied.  They use and oppress each other for selfish gain and as soon as they amass wealth they realize the bitterness and loneliness of life for nothing can satisfy a man's soul like Christ.  And to top off their so called "fabulous lifestyle" is destruction.  They spend their entire lives trying to gain all things only to lose it all in death, but a Christian seeks to lose all things only to gain them all in eternal life.  Truly those who seek to save their lives will lose them, but those who lose their lives for Christ's sake will save them.

Now which one costs more?  Why work for that which you cannot keep?

Proverbs 27:17

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Men are sharpened for battle.  Just as a dull sword is useless in combat, so is a dull man.  And we know that our war is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12)  Men, we were not made to wage war against each other.  We are not each other's enemies but it is Satan himself who sows confusion among our ranks so that brother fights brother to tear each other down.  Brothers, this should not be!

We were made to sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron.  We were made to grow stronger together.  And now, it is Christ, the man of men, the king of kings, and the lord of lords, who has bound himself to us eternally by faith.  And when we are bound to him and bound to each other we will not fall but we will prevail against the enemy.  Your brother is not your enemy even though he may attack you.  Realize he needs the truth of Jesus Christ to set him free (John 8:32)  from the true enemy's grasp so that he may join you in the fight.

Do not hate your brother and tear him down, but build him up as a fellow soldier in Christ.  Offer him the Truth and set him free.

Proverbs 24:17-18

"Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them."

How much do we long to see our enemies laid low beneath our feet?  How much hatred do we hold in our hearts?

People talk about being love-sick.  I think we are hate-sick.

What else could cause someone to so joyously celebrate the humiliation and defeat of another person?  What else could cause us to feel so much pride when another falls?  What else is capable of allowing us to take pleasure in another's pain other than some bizarre psychological issues?  Only hatred.

The implication of v 18 is that God would turn his wrath away from them, and presumably onto the one who rejoices.  The joy that you feel when another stumbles is born of hatred and that joy will soon turn to sorrow if left unattended.

So who do you hate?  Democrats?  Republicans?  Blacks?  Whites?  Arabs? Muslims?  Jews?  Christians? The Obese? Gays? Slow Drivers?  Fast Drivers? The arrogant? Those who aren't good enough? Celebrities?  Nobodies? The government? Your mom?  Your dad?  Family? Your dog?  My dog?

We are haters by nature.  How can we say we love God whom we have not seen and yet hate another whom we have seen?  The only cure is forgiveness and forgiveness is only born of God.  Therefore turn to God and be healed of your hate-sickness.

Proverbs 21:2

"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."


Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil?  Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them.  Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right?  Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.

It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you".  Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race.  Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.

Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.

A world of relative morality is chaos.

Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us.  God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.

Proverbs 12:1

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid."


The hardest sin to correct is in fact pride.  A prideful man hates to be criticized.  A prideful man does not believe what others say to him nor will he allow himself to be humbled by those he deems "inferior" as if their status could negate the truth.  A prideful man is a foolish man who believes he is beyond reproach.  Moreover, pride is subversive.  A prideful man does not know he is prideful, nor can you tell him.  Can you see why God cannot tolerate a haughty spirit?  It is because they blaspheme the Holy Spirit else they would turn an be forgiven, and mark my words no man has ever been forgiven by God without first turning in humble repentance.

But to those who love discipline have been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Because they have humbled themselves and do not think of themselves any more highly than they ought, God has extended them divine grace and mercy in the form of discipline.  That's right, discipline is a form of mercy when compared to God's other option for correction:  death.  God disciplines those that he loves as a father would discipline his Sons, so today if you hear God's voice do not harden your hearts, for God will exalt those in the lower places and humble those who are high.

Proverbs 22:6

"If you train a youth according to his own way, even when he grows old he will not turn away from it." (Personal translation)


Most translations of the Bible have "according to the way he should go", however it is stretching the Hebrew to translate it that way.  It doesn't mention anything about the "way he should go", but more literally just means "his own way".  Potentially, this proverb is more of a warning than instruction to parents.  A warning to not spoil your children by letting them have their way.  Proverbs 23:13-14 echo the same sentiment so it would not be out of the question to translate in this way.

But all that to say this:  there's a lot of utter nonsense in people trying to figure out who they are.  People make statements all the time like "That's just who I am" or "I'm just being myself".  Foolishness.  There's a dangerous notion here that our personalities are static.  I know a whole bunch of people (myself included) with a big handful of testimonies of how Christ has transformed them to say that personality is fluid.  You are never going to find out "who you are" when who you are is always changing.

Besides, there is no sense in struggling with your identity when that's not what you want to be in the first place.  We aren't looking to go our own ways, but the Way of Christ. Don't be yourself, be who God is making you to be.

Proverbs 18:22

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD."

Curiously enough, the Hebrew here could also be translated "He who stumbles upon a wife" or even "He who happens to find a wife finds a good thing."  I get a mental image of a man walking along a road stopping to look down at his feet, and behold! A wife is there for him to enjoy.  Whether or not that man was looking for a wife or not, the proverb does not say, however I could almost guarantee you if he is completely focused on trying to find a wife, he isn't paying attention to the road signs.

When you are so wrapped up in accomplishing your own will, you will completely miss God's will for your life and all the wonderful things he has for you.  Remember it is God who gives "favor" (in wife/husband form).  If God has a husband or a wife in store for you, then trust in him and follow him and he will surely lead you the right way.  Focus on doing God's will first and learn to be content.  You are complete in Christ just the way you are.

Do you want an easy marriage/idolatry self test?  Ask yourself this question: If God told you right this second to give up (Fill in Blank:) marriage and to stay single for His kingdom, would you do it?  If you answered no or had to think about it for a second, marriage is your idol.