A Brief Word on Wisdom and Common Sense

Reading some of the Proverbs recently, got me thinking. Some read these and consider them to be common sense. Yet if experience teaches you anything, is that common sense isn’t all that common. That’s why it’s worth noting these principles and worth seeing how important they can be to advised approaches to living. There is […]

16MTP 31 – What The Royal Mum Says To Live Well

The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him. (Proverbs 31:1 NIV) Proverbs 31 is usually highlighted for what it says about the virtuous wife from verse 10 to 31. What’s fascinating to me is the chapter as a whole – the final chapter of the book on wisdom is given to the […]

16MTP 30 – Learning Large From The Small

Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: (Proverbs 30:24 NIV) There are some who subscribe to the ethos that size matters. The thinking is that the bigger the better. Thankfully the wisdom seen in Proverbs suggests otherwise. The sayings in Agur in chapter 30 are, as with a lot of the proverbs, […]

16MTP 29 – Justice for the Poor

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern. (Proverbs 29:7 NIV) The effort and sentiment behind the bid to make poverty history is rooted in a tremendous compassion for the poor. Whether humanity will ever reach the stage where the impoverished is a distant memory is open to […]

16MTP 28 – Expose and Get Rid

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 NIV) It is like a grip clamped on the heart that squeezes in and chokes any life out of it, slowly, remorselessly and effectively. The sense of embarrassment, the fear of retribution, the anxiety over a […]

16MTP 27 – Protected by Loyalty

The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored. (Proverbs 27:18 NIV) Among the positive things to say about David the king of Israel is his incredible loyalty to his predecessor King Saul. It’s incredible because to be hounded by your boss because of their […]

16MTP 26 – Out Like A Light

For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. (Proverbs 26:20, 21 ESV) It’s not all good stuff in Proverbs. That is to say there a number of times when the […]

16MTP 25 – Wait For The Promotion

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. (Proverbs 25:6-7 NIV) In some areas arrogance looks to be an asset. If you can have […]

16MTP 24 – Three Key Ingredients

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established, through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures. (Proverbs 24:3, 4 NIV) It has been my great honour and privilege to be involved in a number of projects and initiatives that have left a positive impact on people’s lives.When I consider […]

16MTP 23 – Just Saying

Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words. (Proverbs […]