January 2015 – Do yourself a favor – put away your cell phone or other gadget, and get out a Bible. Turn to the book of Proverbs. If you are like me, you will find these words of wisdom addictive. You read one, and it’s so good, you want to read another and another. 

Here are some nuggets from King Solomon who wrote these sayings nearly 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Many are profound and pointed. Some are funny. And some make you wonder: how did this make it in here? (I understand that these verses are included in the Old Testament because God put them there, so please don’t email me.) Here are a few of my favorites:

▶ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

▶ Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

▶ Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

▶ When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

▶ Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

▶ A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

▶ Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

▶ An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.

▶ A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.

▶ The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.

▶ A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

▶ Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

▶ A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

▶ The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.

▶ A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.

▶ Better a little with the fear of the Lord, than great wealth with turmoil.

▶ Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

▶ A perverse man stirs up dissension, a gossip separates close friends.

▶ A cheerful heart is good medicine.

▶ A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.

▶ The tongue has the power of life and death.

▶ The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man, it searches out his inmost being.

▶ The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty.

▶ Better to live in the desert than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

▶ A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

▶ Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered.

▶ Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

▶ If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.

▶ As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

▶ As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.

▶ Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passerby who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

▶ A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

▶ A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.

▶ Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of sons is their fathers.

▶ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

▶ Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

The wisdom of God’s Word – no better way to enter the brand new year.