Can you accept constructive criticism? (Proverbs 12:1)

Proverbs 12:1

New Living Translation (NLT)

12 To learn, you must love discipline;
    it is stupid to hate correction.


If you don't want to learn, years of schooling will teach you very little. But if you want to be taught, there is no end to what you can learn. This includes being willing to accept discipline and correction and to learn from the wisdom of others. A person who refuses constructive criticism has a problem with pride. Such a person is unlikely to learn very much.


Joe

A wise leader.... (Proverbs 11:14)

Proverbs 11:14

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁴ Without wise leadership, a nation falls;    there is safety in having many advisers.


A good leader needs and uses wise advisors. One person's perspective and understanding is severely limited; he or she may not have all the facts or may be blinded by bias, emotions, or wrong impressions. To be a wise leader at home, at church, or at work, seek the counsel of others and be open to their advice.


Joe





 

Your words make a difference. (Proverbs 11:9)

Proverbs 11:9

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁹ With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge and superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered.

The mouth can be used either as a weapon or a tool, hurting relationships or building them up. Sadly, it is often easier to destroy than to build, and most people have received more destructive comments than those that build up. Every person you meet today is either a demolition site or a construction opportunity. Your words will make a difference.  Will they be weapons for destruction or tools for construction.

Joe

Respond to the needs of others. (Proverbs 10:22)

Proverbs 10:22

New International Version (NIV)

²² The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
    without painful toil for it.


God supplies most people with the personal and financial abilities to respond to the needs of others. If we all realized how God has blessed us, and if we all used our resources to do God's will, hunger and poverty would be wiped out. Wealth is a blessing only if we use it in the way God intended.


Joe

Refuse to be a lazy person. (Proverbs 10:4-5)

Proverbs 10:4-5

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ Lazy hands make for poverty,
    but diligent hands bring wealth.

⁵ He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.




<sup>Every day has 24 hours filled with opportunities to grow, serve, and be productive. Yet it is so easy to waste time, letting life slip from our grasp. Refuse to be a lazy person, sleeping or wasting away the hours meant for productive work. See time as God's gift and seize your opportunities to live diligently for Him.




Joe</sup>



 

Today's thrill may lead to tomorrow's ruin. (Proverbs 7:25-27)

Proverbs 7:25-27

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁵ Don’t let your hearts stray away toward her.
    Don’t wander down her wayward path.
²⁶ For she has been the ruin of many;
    many men have been her victims.
²⁷ Her house is the road to the grave.
    Her bedroom is the den of death.


There are definite steps you can take to avoid sexual sins. First, guard your mind. Don't read books, look at pictures, or encourage fantasies that stimulate the wrong desires. Second, keep away from settings and friends that tempt you to sin. Third, don't think only of the moment - focus on the future. Today's thrill may lead to tomorrow's ruin.


Joe






 

Get out of bed ! (Proverbs 6:6-11)

Proverbs 6:6-11

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁶ Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
    Learn from their ways and become wise!
⁷ Though they have no prince
    or governor or ruler to make them work,
⁸ they labor hard all summer,
    gathering food for the winter.
⁹ But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
    When will you wake up?
¹⁰ A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
¹¹ then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
    scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.


Those last few moments of sleep are delicious - we savor them as we resist beginning another workday. But Proverbs warns against giving in to the temptation of laziness, of sleeping instead of working. This does not mean we should never rest; God gave the Jews the Sabbath, a weekly day of rest and restoration. But we should not rest when we should be working. The ant is used as an example because it utilizes its energy and resources economically. If laziness turns us from our responsibilities, poverty may soon bar us from  the legitimate rest we should enjoy.




Joe