May 21 | Two Kinds of Fools

Proverbs 26:4-5, “4 Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. 5 Answer a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.” Did you catch the supposed contradiction in the two proverbs for today’s lesson? If you didn’t, please slowly…

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May 20 | Lack of Self-Control

Proverbs 25:28, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” I’ll never forget the first time I really understood this proverb. I was talking to a friend who was giving me counsel, after I had been in an argument with another pastor. In my hurt and frustration I asked…

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May 19 | Feed Your Enemy

Proverbs 25:19, “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” Some people have the impression that God was “mean” in the Old Testament and “nice” in the New Testament. However, Hebrews 13:8 states, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” The…

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May 18 | Unfaithful People

Proverbs 25:19, “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.” Have you ever had a broken tooth or an injured foot? Do you remember how much pain you had each time you tried to use it? Or have you been injured in another part of…

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May 17 | Don’t Envy Sinners

Proverbs 23:17, “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord.” The definition of envy is, “a feeling of discontentment that leads to resentment aroused by the desire to have the possessions or qualities of another person.” A similar concept to envy is what John called, “the…

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May 16 | Don’t Wear Yourself Out

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 work longer hours, have less vacation time, less days off and retire at an older age compared to workers in…

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May 15 | Hot-Tempered

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.” Everyone at times struggles to keep his or her anger under control. For some all it takes to sin in their anger is a bad day…

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May 14 | Drive Out the Mocker

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

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May 13 | Don’t Love Earthly Pleasure

Proverbs 21:17, “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.” Is King Solomon teaching us that pleasure is bad? No, if he were then he would be contradicting the parts of the Bible that encourage us to enjoy life (Psalm 104:14-15). For example, Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes…

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May 12 | All Our Ways Seem Right

Proverbs 21:2, “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Have you ever thought you were right about something, but later found out you were wrong? Maybe you were sure that a person you were dating was going to be your spouse, but it turned out they were…

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