Observant More Than We Think VI

Sunday, July 3, 2022

27 A greedy and grasping person destroys community;

    those who refuse to exploit live and let live.

28 Prayerful answers come from God-loyal people;

    the wicked are sewers of abuse.

29 God keeps his distance from the wicked;

    he closely attends to the prayers of God-loyal people.

30 A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,

    and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle.

31 Listen to good advice if you want to live well,

    an honored guest among wise men and women.

32 An undisciplined, self-willed life is puny;

    an obedient, God-willed life is spacious.

33 Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—

    first, you learn humility, then you experience glory.

-Proverbs 15:27-33 The Message

27 Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,

    but he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,

    but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,

    but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,

    and good news refreshes the bones.

31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof

    will dwell among the wise.

32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,

    but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,

    and humility comes before honor.

Verse 28 study: People with wisdom weigh their responses. Meanwhile, the wicked don’t. They don’t wait to speak because they use words that don’t matter to them or others. It’s understandable to say words, but weighing those words first is worth it. So how do you plan your comments? Carefully or without concern?

Verses 31-33 studies: Learning comes first, then recognition.