Proverbs 14

and on we go....

12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Does this ever ring truer than the present? No matter when you read this, at least to me, we, whoever we are, Americans, Men, Husbands, Christians, we always have to be on the lookout to make sure we aren't doing what just seems right...It will surely end in death.

23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
That's good to know...and easier said than done.... but the second half is much easier to believe. Surely mere talk leads to no action, nothing,...only poverty. Be doers go and work hard. It all will bring a profit.

26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
I fear the Lord more when I read his word than throughout the day. I think the older I get the more I will start to fear the Lord, as I am daily shown how much I need him and how imperfect I am. I pray today, that the Lord enable me to continue to grow in healthy fear of him, so that I may have a secure fortress and that I may be a fountain of life, for I want my children to have refuge and need Him to save me from the snares of death.

30 A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Oh Envy. Why do I envy? Why do I want a salary like him, and a yard like that guy, and house like them, and a car like her,... I need to read proverbs 13:12 more often, likely daily if not hourly. hope deferred. How can I hope for those things but not envy them? Work towards them, but with healthy desire.

31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Maybe I'm not oppressing the poor because I am not a tyrant or king of some foreign country starting some revolution or war against certain party or race....but am I helping the poor that are oppressed or am I lukewarm, not helping them by not doing anything. Wendy reminded me the other day in the gospels where the Jesus is teaching, "For I was hungry, and you offered me food. I was thirsty, and you brought me cold water to drink. I was without home, and you invited me in. I was without clothes, and you clothed me. I was ill, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me."
The King will reply: "Truly, inasmuch as you have done such things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done the same for me."