Proverbs 12:15-16

15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

Have you ever felt the need to prove yourself to other people? If you have then you probably know that overwhelming feeling that comes over you saying, “You’re not good enough” or something to that nature. In those times, it’s easy to retract back into your shell and try desperately to accomplish everything on your own, no stopping to ask for help, just a persistent go so everyone will see you as something special. Problem with that is that we all are better with other people than we are by ourselves. In every walk of life, community trumps solitary living.  Don’t get me wrong; I am a person that enjoys spending time alone, dreaming new dreams, solving problems and admiring creation. But when it comes to doing life in the best way possible, there’s always someone who’s walked the same path you’re walking and may have great words to share to help you overcome your current obstacle. Shake off that “not good enough” feeling. John3:16 says that God loved this world so much that He sent His only begotten son to pay the ultimate price for us to be reconciled with Him through salvation in Jesus Christ for His good and perfect will for our lives. This means that you are good enough. You are loved and cherished by God almighty. Moreover, you are created fearfully and wonderfully in His image. Perk up and seek out wisdom that is readily available to you. All you have to do is ask God and the bible says He freely gives without measure. That also means to keep good people around you who will build you up but also who will be honest with you to help make you the best version of you that you’re meant to be.

16 A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

When I first got married, I found out very quickly that I wasn’t as calm natured as I once thought I was. For some reason I felt myself losing my cool at many things that I would never have normally lost it over. Looking back at that time in my life, I’m grateful to my incredible wife for her patience as I learned to rule my temper in all the little moments that got the best of me. I know now that there were a lot of various things contributing to my sky rocketing temper during that time. It all came down change. My life was changing and unknowingly, I was not handling it well. Thankfully, I became aware of my temper issue and was able to cling to scripture. Nothing but destruction came out of my “lost” moments. Even though my good wife was(is) patient, I know I hurt her every time I gave her a side glare, answered with a sharp tongue or was just simply selfish in my actions. I was a FOOL. But although I was once a fool, I’m now striving for wisdom through redemption in the Lord and taking every human thought and outburst captive in Jesus name, choosing to act, the best I can, how Jesus would act and treat his loved ones. Staying calm when insulted is one of the most difficult things to learn and even harder to put into diligent practice. Sometimes we just want to vent, right? Think realistically about the consequences “just venting” might cause to you, your relationships, etc. Give it to God, breathe and receive the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. After that, do it again! Every day, every moment, decision and thought require our best. This world needs Christians to be what God says we should be. The good thing is that Christ knows our struggles and invites us to freely go to Him and He promises to give us rest and a light yoke. Trust Him; He is our salvation after all.

Proverbs 12: 13-14

The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble (verse 13).

Integrity is highly underrated in our culture. It takes just a few altered sentences to make a better sale, a more interesting story, or a cleaner alibi. However, the stretching or altering of the truth is wickedness from the lips. This verse says that the wicked are trapped, translated from the Hebrew word meaning “snared,” by their own words.

This gives the image of a hunter who has laid a trap along the usual path of a wild animal. He has studied the creature, has observed its normal routine, and knows its habits. He has therefore set a snare in the animal’s normal path that he knows it will walk right into. Why? Because that’s where it goes daily.

The same can be said of those who do not fight to have God-honoring, integrity-filled speech. The more routine wicked speech becomes, the more the enemy knows just how to set a trap. Just as the animal in the woods is being studied, so is the one who regularly makes a habit of stretching the truth, spreading gossip, and causing dissention with their speech. It’s only a matter of time until the wicked person stumbles into the snare that is waiting for them.

The godly, however, are protected. They escape this snare because when confronted, they don’t have to worry about what they said or how much someone knows of their speech. Their conscious is clear, their integrity intact.

Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards (verse 14).

If you think guarding your speech is easy, you are far stronger than I. It takes genuine work to keep speech clean, full of integrity, and God-honoring. However, it brings benefits. Think of people in your life who you know wouldn’t say something negative about another person. Mayne they’re not as fun to be around when you want to feed your flesh and gossip, but you know that those people are safe-harbors. Their word can be trusted at face-value and others feel loved and cared for by them. People know that their success comes from genuine, hard work, rather than cutting corners.

The work that it takes to keep speech full of integrity is worth it.

Photography: @jacobnnorris

Proverbs 12: 11-12

In every moment we have a chance to be a good steward: in your career, your relationships, your finances, your free time. What are you doing with what you have? End results are a reflection of what occurred in the process, also meaning that the work input determines the quality of the output. Chapter 12 of Proverbs gives us more instructions on the effects of how we live.

11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

The one with, not just some, but plenty of food is the one who is called a hard worker. The worker’s abundance is correlated to the quality of his work. Yet, the contrasting person, the one who chases fantasies is also one that lacks sense. Of the two which one is stewarding his resources well? Which one is rewarded for the way he lives? God blesses those who take care of what they are given and do not waste it.

12 Thieves are jealous of each other’s loot,
but the godly are well rooted and bear their own fruit.

A thief’s entitlement draws him to steal instead of work to satisfy his needs. With brooding envy, comparison breeds jealousy and causes us to stray from what God has for us. But as Proverbs shows us, the godly are centered and carry a different perspective. Instead of looking to their neighbor in envy and desiring to take what they feel they deserve, the godly work hard with what they have to multiply and satisfy their own needs. By bearing their own fruit, they no longer have to look outward to satisfy their needs.

God calls us to steward what we are given and he will provide plenty. When we root ourselves in him and keep our focus on His will for our lives, He will fully satisfy our needs.

Proverbs 12: 9-10

“Better to be an ordinary person with a servant than to be self-important but have no food.”(Proverbs 12:9) The person who is thought little of by their friends and is lowly in their own eyes, if he has a slave to cater to all his wants and needs, they are better off than one who boasts of his rank and family, and are on the verge of salvation. Being self-important doesn’t just mean that you care for yourself, but it means that you go out of your way to make sure YOU have all you need, and it means never thinking of other people before yourself. Where is the good in that? We are fools to think that we wouldn’t be despised if all we cared about was our personal well-being. What Solomon is trying to say is that it’s better to be just a somebody with a servant, implying some means of honest living, than to be well-known and have no food.

“The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel.” (Proverbs 12:10) A godly man would not put even an animal to needless pain, but the wicked often speak of others as well used, when they would not endure the same treatment for a single day. The cruel acts of the wicked are ungraciously rendered to the needy. The righteous more regards an animal than the wicked man. In another translation is says, “…but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” (NIV). What good is our life if we would put down others the same way someone else puts us down? Could we handle being tormented and made fun of the same way we do to others? Most of us get down on ourselves when someone says a joke that discriminates us, how could we handle the cruelness of the wicked Solomon is referring to? I challenge you to think before you say and do. Be mindful of others’ feelings and live a godly lifestyle that people can look up to.