When we first looked at the sayings of Solomon and the wise men of Israel, we began with Proverbs 1. It occurs to me that it would be worthwhile to return to it as we consider for the final time our tendency to substitute knowledge for wisdom. This is not only a daily grind; it is a lifetime challenge! How easy it is to acquire knowledge, yet how difficult and painstaking is the process of gaining wisdom.
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Helpfulness
As we consider Agur’s fourth and final animal illustration, we must wrestle with an unusually enigmatic proverb. We typically encounter this problem whenever a statement depends heavily upon a shared cultural experience that no longer exists. For example, the American expression “He came to me with his hat in his hand” depends heavily upon the shared experience of the Great Depression.
Read MoreA Deadly Substitute
Yesterday we discussed wine and strong drink. The chief concern of Solomon and the wise men was not the substance we call alcohol, but addiction to alcohol or the compulsion to drink it. The same concern exists for any other substance on which someone becomes dependent. Mind-altering drugs, of course, create similar problems, only quicker and more intensely.
Read MoreModeration versus Addiction
As we stated yesterday, substance abuse isn’t limited to sleazy back alleys; you can find addiction almost anywhere. The penthouse suite owned by the high roller, nice homes where small children play, efficient offices where business is regularly transacted, military barracks where boredom reigns, professional sports teams where competition is fierce and money is plentiful—the problem knows no economic or social boundaries.
Read MoreProsperity: Not Too Little, Not Too Much
As we conclude our examination of balance or the lack of it, let’s return to where we started. A wise man of Israel reflected on his wealth and its effect on his relationship with God. He then formulated this prayer asking the Lord to help him maintain a wise balance: Two things I asked of You, Do not refuse me before I die: Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Read MoreChoose Joy
Psalm 100 wastes no time with preliminaries. Rather than try to convince the reader to praise the Lord for His goodness and our many blessings, the composer issues three commands in the first two verses. The Commands. Shout joyfully to the LORD (100:1). This is quite a beginning! The Hebrew gets straight to the point. In fact, the term “joyfully” doesn’t appear in the Hebrew.
Read MoreUnbalanced
The longer I live, the more I realize how easily a routine can become a rut and how quickly priorities can become obsessions. Last week we examined the grind of laziness and discovered ways to avoid becoming a sluggard. But the decision to make work a priority and be diligent in our responsibilities can carry us to extremes: our industriousness can become workaholism.
Read MoreNo Follow-Through
A young fellow entered a convenience store and asked to use the phone. The manager overheard his side of the conversation as he asked, “Sir, could you use a hardworking, honest young man to work for you?” (pause) “Oh, you’ve already got a hardworking, honest young man? Well, thanks anyway!” The boy hung up the phone with a smile and turned to leave, humming a happy tune.
Read MoreOvercoming Inertia
Throughout the Bible we are encouraged to be people of diligence, committed to the tasks in life that we need to accomplish. Some, however, do not consider this a privilege, but a burden. For those folks the daily grind of laziness is an undeniable reality. For this entire week, we’ll take a close-up look at this practical plague.
Read MoreBe Joyful
EVEN THOUGH I DON’T LIKE IT, I’m tempted to stand back, shrug, and agree with the wag who wrote: This is the age, Of the half-read page, And the quick hash, And the mad dash, The bright night, With the nerves tight, The plane hop, With the brief stop, The lamp tan, In a short span, The big shot, In a good spot, And the brain strain, And the heart pain, And the catnaps, Till the spring snaps, And the fun’s done.
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