My Daily Pause

Category: Uncategorized

  • Proverbs 1:1-7 – The Importance of Proverbs

    Proverbs 1:1-7 – The Importance of Proverbs

    1 These are the wise words of Solomon son of David, king of Israel.
    2 They teach wisdom and self-control;
    they will help you understand wise words.
    3 They will teach you how to be wise and self-controlled
    and will teach you to do what is honest and fair and right.
    4 They make the uneducated wise
    and give knowledge and sense to the young.
    5 Wise people can also listen and learn;
    even they can find good advice in these words.
    6 Then anyone can understand wise words and stories,
    the words of the wise and their riddles.

    7 Knowledge begins with respect for the Lord,
    but fools hate wisdom and discipline.

    I learned of an old technique for better living, better business and better relationships that I have been trying to develop into a habit. The technique is to read the chapter of Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month and reflect on one or more of the principles given for that day. The idea is that these ageless bits of wisdom can still be used today and will make one a more godly person.

    The opening lines of the book tells us just how important these words are.

  • Proverbs 31:10-31 – The Good Wife

    The Good Wife

    10 It is hard to find a good wife,
    because she is worth more than rubies.
    11 Her husband trusts her completely.
    With her, he has everything he needs.
    12 She does him good and not harm
    for as long as she lives.
    13 She looks for wool and flax
    and likes to work with her hands.
    14 She is like a trader’s ship,
    bringing food from far away.
    15 She gets up while it is still dark
    and prepares food for her family
    and feeds her servant girls.
    16 She inspects a field and buys it.
    With money she earned, she plants a vineyard.
    17 She does her work with energy,
    and her arms are strong.
    18 She knows that what she makes is good.
    Her lamp burns late into the night.
    19 She makes thread with her hands
    and weaves her own cloth.
    20 She welcomes the poor
    and helps the needy.
    21 She does not worry about her family when it snows,
    because they all have fine clothes to keep them warm.
    22 She makes coverings for herself;
    her clothes are made of linen and other expensive material.
    23 Her husband is known at the city meetings,
    where he makes decisions as one of the leaders of the land.
    24 She makes linen clothes and sells them
    and provides belts to the merchants.
    25 She is strong and is respected by the people.
    She looks forward to the future with joy.
    26 She speaks wise words
    and teaches others to be kind.
    27 She watches over her family
    and never wastes her time.
    28 Her children speak well of her.
    Her husband also praises her,
    29 saying, “There are many fine women,
    but you are better than all of them.”
    30 Charm can fool you, and beauty can trick you,
    but a woman who respects the Lord should be praised.
    31 Give her the reward she has earned;
    she should be praised in public for what she has done.– Proverbs 31:10-31 NCV

    Like the women of Israel, the women of America that fit the Proverbs 31 description pioneered this land and made it the great country that it is. They were the responsible party for its growth, godliness, and family values. What a fitting tribute to great women after so many warnings against the ungodly kind throughout Proverbs!

  • Proverbs 30:1-4 – Admit It

    Proverbs 30:1-4 – Admit It

    1 These are the words of Agur son of Jakeh.
    This is his message to Ithiel and Ucal:
    2 “I am the most stupid person there is,
    and I have no understanding.
    3 I have not learned to be wise,
    and I don’t know much about God, the Holy One.
    4 Who has gone up to heaven and come back down?
    Who can hold the wind in his hand?
    Who can gather up the waters in his coat?
    Who has set in place the ends of the earth?
    What is his name or his son’s name?
    Tell me, if you know!      –Proverbs 30:1-4 NCV

    The writer sets an example of the humility we need to have in God’s presence. Contrast his admission of ignorance with the pride and arrogance of the average person today. Just as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 8:2, We are only at the beginning of the things there are to know about God.

  • Proverbs 26 – Foolish Response

    4 Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly, or you will be just like them.
    5 Answer fools when they speak foolishly, or they will think they are really wise.     Proverbs 26:4-5

    This seemingly contradictory couplet reminds us to look at every situation by its own merit before applying our wisdom to it. Sometimes a situation can be dangerous if left unaddressed. Sometimes a situation is nothing but a waste of time if you engage in it.

  • Proverbs 25:28 – Have Self Control

    Proverbs 25:28 – Have Self Control

    Those who do not control themselves are like a city whose walls are broken down. – Proverbs 25:28 NCV

    This is a reference to self-control – A lack of discipline exposes one to all the problems the problems of life the same way an unprotected city was open to being sacked. The Proverb writer placed a lot of importance on rearing children with boundaries, this saying being the results of failing to do so.

  • Proverbs 23:29-35 – An Alcoholic’s Song

    Proverbs 23:29-35 – An Alcoholic’s Song

    29 Who has trouble? Who has pain?
    Who fights? Who complains?
    Who has unnecessary bruises?
    Who has bloodshot eyes?
    30 It is people who drink too much wine,
    who try out all different kinds of strong drinks.
    31 Don’t stare at the wine when it is red,
    when it sparkles in the cup,
    when it goes down smoothly.
    32 Later it bites like a snake
    with poison in its fangs.
    33 Your eyes will see strange sights,
    and your mind will be confused.
    34 You will feel dizzy as if you’re in a storm on the ocean,
    as if you’re on top of a ship’s sails.
    35 You will think, “They hit me, but I’m not hurt.
    They beat me up, but I don’t remember it.
    I wish I could wake up.
    Then I would get another drink.” –Proverbs 23:29-35 NCV

    Alcohol is poison – Don’t touch it. The “disease” of alcoholism was never caught by someone that never took a drink.