If the commercial for kid’s lip gloss and face glitter included a warning that these products might cause cancer, few parents would feel compelled to give into their child’s begging. Obviously, life is never that easy or that simple. Since no producer of these products would ever willingly profess such abuse of trust, we must…
Proverbs 14:6 ESV A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A6&version=ESV] Any parent who has tried to teach math or grammar or colors or table manners to their kid can tell you one thing with certainty: the student’s attitude matters a lot. A kid that wants…
Proverbs 14:5 ESV A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness breathes out lies. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A5&version=ESV] This proverb seems like a set of two truisms everybody already understood, but it highlights an important truth: people, even in the most important circumstances (especially in those circumstances), lie. Sometimes this lying seems inconsequential, like whether…
Proverbs 14:4 ESV Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A4&version=ESV] No food means no people, so we have to get food. The process of getting that food, however, has some icky bits. For ancient Israel, it was the ox, with its…
Read Part One here. As promised from my recent post on how to think about the recent Ohio train incident, there are a number of things you can do even while experts sort out the scientific facts and storyline of what happened and what will happen. The first two steps are things we should all…
Proverbs 14:3 ESV By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A3&version=ESV] Ever said something you really, really shouldn’t have? We’ve all done it, me not the least, and we’ve all regretted it, sometimes five seconds later, sometimes (the worst times)…
Proverbs 14:2 ESV Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A2&version=ESV] Why do people sin? Generally, we default to two different explanations: some people want to do things more than they care about morals, and some people want to do things without realizing those…
Proverbs 14:1 ESV The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+14%3A1&version=ESV] Folly is much easier than wisdom; unfortunately, it has side effects: sin, self-destruction, and judgement, just to name a few. Wisdom, though it is difficult, can produce enduring legacies of virtue and prosperity (spiritual,…
Proverbs 13:25 ESV The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A25&version=ESV] Despite the words of this proverb, a fairly large number of Christians have starved to death, whether by persecution or mishap. Of course, that’s hardly proof of its falsity; properly understood, this verse is…
Proverbs 13:24 ESV Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=proverbs+13%3A24&version=ESV] Being a parent, I am given to understand, is difficult (though I have no personal experience as yet). Whether it’s worry about your kids, frustration with their foibles, fear over your own inadequacies,…