Proverbs 1:1 KJV — The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; The proverbs. That’s the opening salvo of this book. Not: the psalms, or the songs or the jokes or the lamentations. The proverbs. Say what is. Be up front about it. Let your readers know what they’re dealing with.
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Rosetta stone
Proverbs 30:5 KJV — Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. The word of God is your Rosetta stone for interpreting reality. Use it.
You don’t need to have a vision
Proverbs 29:18 KJV — Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Instead, a vision needs to have you. You need to be a bondservant of something that is bigger than you. You need to be the slave of something unseen that is dictating your actions …
More favour afterwards
Proverbs 28:23 KJV — He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue. It’s better to tell someone what they need to hear than what they want to hear. The benefit to you comes later, maybe much later. But whatever you gain today through “being nice” is …
Don’t turn your brain off
Proverbs 27:23 KJV — Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Be diligent. Be shrewd. Use commonsense. Notice what’s going on. Do the maths. Connect the dots. God designed you with a brain and He expects you to use it. Faith isn’t a substitute for thinking. …
Inherit the promises
Hebrews 6:12 KJV — That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Inherit. That’s a verb, an action word. And yet an inheritance is something that you receive as a gift by virtue of your birth and someone else’s death. You were born into a family. …
In defence of your idea
Proverbs 25:9 KJV — Debate thy cause with thy neighbour himself; and discover not a secret to another: If you’ve got an idea or a cause that is important to you, then you are going to have to defend it and speak up for it. Your idea, your cause…your case. You are the defence attorney …
“We lose respect for you”
Proverbs 24:10 KJV — If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. Paraphrase of Bishop TD Jakes: When some of you are in here crying about a problem you’ve had for a weekend, when we’re praising God while dealing with a problem we’ve had for a lifetime…we lose respect for you. …
Royal expectations
Proverbs 23:1 KJV — When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: “When.” Not if, but when. When you sit to eat with a ruler… The Bible expects you to be invited to dinners with rulers, leaders, and wielders of power and influence. And when that happens, here’s what …
God’s Letters (“let us”)
Mark 4:35 KJV — And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. Let us make man in our own image. (Genesis 1:26) Let us pass over unto the other side. (Mark 4:35) Let us go up at once to possess it. (Num …