3/12 Reading (Proverbs 23-25; Matthew 7)

Proverbs 23: Here are the ones I like from this chapter:

4 Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich;
   be smart enough to stop.
5 When your eyes fly to wealth
   it is gone; it grows wings
   like an eagle and flies heavenward.
12 Bring your mind to instruction,
   your ear to knowledgeable sayings.
13 Don’t withhold instruction from children;
   if you strike them with a rod, they won’t die.
14 Strike them with a rod,
   and you will save their lives from the grave.
15 My child, if your heart is wise,
   then my heart too will be happy.
16 My inner being will rejoice
   when your lips speak with integrity.

Intelligence, knowledge, instruction, wisdom, integrity

Proverbs 24: Here are the ones I like from this chapter:

3 By wisdom a house is built;
   by understanding it is established.
4 By knowledge rooms are filled
   with all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise person is mightier than a strong one;
   a knowledgeable person than a powerful one.
6 You should make war with guidance;
   victory comes with many counselors.
13 My child, eat honey, for it is good.
   The honeycomb is sweet in your mouth.
14 Know that wisdom is like that for your whole being.
   If you find it, there is a future.
   Your hope won’t be cut off.

Wisdom, understanding, knowledge

Proverbs 25: Here are the ones I like from this chapter:

11 Words spoken at the right time
   are like gold apples in a silver setting.
12 Wise correction to an ear that listens
   is like a gold earring or jewelry of fine gold.
28 A person without self-control
   is like a breached city, one with no walls.

Communication, wisdom, self-control

Matthew 7: Jesus continues and completes the sermon on the mount in this chapter. He addresses the importance of not judging people. He addresses the importance of “asking, seeking, knocking” in the following verses (7:7-8):

7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened.

Even to someone who has never read the entire Bible (me), these verses are recognizable. I like the emphasis on asking, which is something that I’ve focused on throughout this experience.

Jesus tells the people that they need to stay away from the wide and easy path and instead follow the narrow and difficult path for this path leads to life and salvation.

He tells the people to beware false prophets and false teachers (a theme in several of Paul’s letters).

He makes it clear to the people that just saying you follow him isn’t enough. Your actions are more important than your words and that is what will lead you to heaven.

He ends with a short analogy, telling people that ignoring his words is like building a house on a sandy and unstable foundation. Those people who listen to his words and follow him are like the people who build a house on a solid foundation.