Proverbs 20:1, “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” The saddest day of my life thus far was when I lost my sister to drinking and driving.  She hit a pole driving over 70mph, split the car in two, and flew through the roof.  The…

Proverbs 20:6, “Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?” As a pastor for the last 16 years I’ve had the privilege of meeting hundreds of people as they’ve come and joined our church.  Some of the people I’ve had the honor to serve are very faithful and sincerely dedicated…

Proverbs 20:7, “The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.” If I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, “But no nobody is perfect,” I’d be a rich man by now!  The Bible is crystal clear from front to back that the children of God are to live blameless…

Proverbs 20:25, “It is a trap to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider ones vows.” America has a big rash problem… a rash behavior problem that is.  From the White House to your house and from Wall Street to Main Street people too often commit to things they don’t follow through with.  Whether…

Proverbs 21:2, “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” The above proverb reminds me of what life used to be like for countless drivers before a “GPS” (Global Position System) was in cars.  So often a person would drive with directions on a piece of paper and…

Proverbs 21:17, “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.” Pain good, pleasure bad.  Is that what King Solomon means here?  Ofcourse not.  The idea he is trying to convey is that if you are “obsessed” with pleasure you will become poor.  And if you’re consumed with…

Proverbs 22:10, “Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.” All throughout the book of Proverbs the fool is contrasted with the wise person.  And a certain kind of fool that is often highlighted is the “mocker.”  The definition for a mocker is, “someone who ridicules others or purposely misrepresents…

Proverbs 22:24-25, “24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, 25 or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.” We all at times struggle to keep our emotions in check.  For some all it takes is a bad day in traffic, others can be easily…

Proverbs 23:4, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.” According to recent studies the American worker is the most overworked employee of all the developed nations.  Americans on average worker longer hours, have less vacations and days off, and retire at an older age compared to workers in…