A Wise Child Loves Discipline
A wise child loves discipline, but a
scoffer does not listen to rebuke. From the fruit of their words good persons
eat good things, but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing. Those who
guard their mouths preserve their lives, those who open wide their lips come to
ruin. The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing, while the appetite of
the diligent is richly supplied. The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked
act shamefully and disgracefully. Righteousness guards one whose way is
upright, but sin overthrows the wicked. Some pretend to be rich, yet have
nothing; others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth. Wealth is a ransom
for a person’s life, but the poor get no threats. The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out. By insolence the heedless make strife, but
wisdom is with those who take advise. Wealth hastily
gotten will dwindle, but those who gather little by little will increase it.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves, but those who
respect the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, so that one may avoid the snares of death.
There are so many things we can learn
from such short one-liners in Proverbs. Don’t ignore instruction and rebuke.
Guard your mouth. Beware of the pursuit of riches. Avoid dishonesty. Do not
ever disrespect God’s Word.
God’s warnings
are to protect us, not to punish us.
Our Daily
Bread –