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.

Proverbs 12:5-6

Are you godly? Or wicked? These words are vastly different, but what do they mean? Before claiming to be “godly”, simply because that is what we may desire to be, I think it is important to understand the two.

So what is godliness? Paul mentions the term a couple of times in the New Testament. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul instructs Timothy, “..train yourself to be godly” (4:7). Training does not happen by accident, it is an active, consistent, conscious choice. As a runner, I think of training for a half-marathon. You pick the race you want to run, and register for it. However, registering is not what prepares you for race day. It is only the first step; from there, you must train. Training for a half is typically a 16 week process. Though the training process is not easy, as long as you are consistent in the plan, it is doable. But oh, how noticeable it is when you miss just one week of training! In the same way, becoming a believer is not what makes you godly- though it does save us- real godliness is the process of daily pursuing the Lord and training to be like Him.

Now that we’ve looked into the definition of godliness, what does it mean to be wicked? The word wicked is defined as evil or morally bad, another word to describe it is sinful. Hm… Isn’t that all of us? We don’t have to train or try to be sinful, It comes naturally because of our sinful nature- which is instilled in each one of us because of the Fall. To be wicked, all that is required is to make no strides toward godliness.

Are you godly? Or are you wicked? I think the real question is, are you persevering through adversity and making a conscious effort to be more like Jesus? Are you daily training to be godly? Or are you sitting on the comfortable couch of complacency, wallowing in your wicked, sinful nature?

The true answer to this question affects everything we do. If we are building ourselves up in godliness, we will also build others up when they come to us for advice or encouragement. However, if we are simmering in the sinfulness of envy, pride, and hatred, we will tear down anyone and anything that stands in our self-centered way. Would you rather build up? Or tear down?

It all starts with the question ,

Are you godly? Or are you wicked?

The resources to be godly are right at our fingertips through God’s word. Choose to train yourself in godliness.