Proverbs – Life Skills
Our proverb of the day, once again, presents mankind with two choices. One choice leads to wisdom, living life skillfully, with great outcomes. The other choice leads to a harder life, greater consequences to navigate, along with hurting those around us who love us and can’t bear to watch us aggressively march to death. One choice is honesty which leads to life. The other choice is immorality which leads to continual pain and hurt, fear and guilt. Yes, one choice is smart and one choice is, well…stupid.
Proverbs 10, The Message
An Honest Life Is Immortal
Wise son, glad father; stupid son, sad mother.
2 Ill-gotten gain gets you nowhere;
an honest life is immortal.
3 God won’t starve an honest soul,
but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.
4 Sloth makes you poor;
diligence brings wealth.
5 Make hay while the sun shines—that’s smart;
go fishing during harvest—that’s stupid.
6 Blessings accrue on a good and honest life,
but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
7 A good and honest life is a blessed memorial; a wicked life leaves a rotten stench.
8 A wise heart takes orders;
an empty head will come unglued.
9 Honesty lives confident and carefree,
but Shifty is sure to be exposed.
10 An evasive eye is a sign of trouble ahead,
but an open, face-to-face meeting results in peace.
11 The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.
12 Hatred starts fights,
but love pulls a quilt over the bickering.
13 You’ll find wisdom on the lips of a person of insight,
but the shortsighted needs a slap in the face.
14 The wise accumulate knowledge—a true treasure;
know-it-alls talk too much—a sheer waste.
The Road to Life Is a Disciplined Life15 The wealth of the rich is their bastion;
the poverty of the indigent is their ruin.
16 The wage of a good person is exuberant life;
an evil person ends up with nothing but sin.
17 The road to life is a disciplined life;
ignore correction and you’re lost for good.
18 Liars secretly hoard hatred;
fools openly spread slander.
19 The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words.
20 The speech of a good person is worth waiting for;
the blabber of the wicked is worthless.
21 The talk of a good person is rich fare for many,
but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.
Fear-of-God Expands Your Life22 God’s blessing makes life rich;
nothing we do can improve on God.
23 An empty-head thinks mischief is fun,
but a mindful person relishes wisdom.
24 The nightmares of the wicked come true;
what the good people desire, they get.
25 When the storm is over, there’s nothing left of the wicked;
good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren’t even fazed.
26 A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble;
it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.
27 The Fear-of-God expands your life;
a wicked life is a puny life.
28 The aspirations of good people end in celebration;
the ambitions of bad people crash.
29 God is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance.
30 Good people last—they can’t be moved;
the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.
31 A good person’s mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom;
a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp.
32 The speech of a good person clears the air;
the words of the wicked pollute it.
HOLY PAUSE
With all the outcomes of both choices presented clearly, which choice are we following. We need to daily evaluate where we are and who we are following. Who is leading you?
What are the outcomes of your current choices?
Accepting who Jesus is, believing that He saved us from our own sin, knowing that He rose again to defeat death, do we live like we say we believe?
If our choice is Jesus, do we really believe that what we believe is really real?
Right now, is my life reflecting what I say I believe?
Am I living smart or being stupid?
GET SMART!Remember the old comedy spy series, “GET SMART”? It was good enough to remake this series I enjoyed as a young adult into a movie later for the next generation. The follies of Maxwell Smart portrayed a series of slapstick humor to make Smart look stupid. 
But in the end, Smart got the girl and solved the case, putting the enemy where he belonged…in jail forever.
But in the end, Smart got the girl and solved the case, putting the enemy where he belonged…in jail forever.Let’s ask ourselves again…Even if the world thinks we are stupid and foolish, are we living smart by God’s standards by relying on His Holy Spirit to guide us, or living as the world does? Do we stupidly rely on our own selfish desires lead us with others…to death?
Choose wisely. Live skillfully. The result, according to Jesus is life and more life. This is what is called “abundant, expectant living”! This is love unending, joy unspeakable and full of God’s glory with the precious gift of peace that only Jesus can give. Smart or stupid?Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for caring enough to confront us daily with the wisdom of our choices and pursuits. Thank you Jesus for being our WAY out of troubles, the Truth of saving grace, so that we could have LIFE to the full. Thank you for your holy Presence in our lives, always leading us to what is better than what we think or imagine. Continue to discipline my life with your wise teaching. Then help me to obey quickly by your power and strength.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 