Wisdom-Trek / Creating a Legacy
Welcome to Day 441 of our Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom
Loyalty Makes People Attractive – Proverbs [19:15]-29
Thank you for joining us for our 5 days per week wisdom and legacy building podcast. This is Day 441 of our trek, and today is Wisdom Wednesday. Every Wednesday along life’s trails, we dig for the nuggets of wisdom that are found within the book of Proverbs. Today we will explore the 2nd half of Chapter 19.
We are broadcasting from our studio at The Big House in Marietta, Ohio. We had a blessed weekend with family celebrating the birthdays of our two youngest granddaughters Hazel and Grace. Our daughter Janet’s birthday was also on Saturday, which we celebrated last weekend since we were not in Charlotte this weekend. It is great to be able to celebrate life together. We have a fairly busy schedule for this week with an interview on “Starving the Doubts” podcast, working onsite with a client, and some additional work in our mix.
Although not many of the leaves have started falling from the trees at The Big House yet, the temperatures are starting to cool. So it won’t be too long before the leaf harvest begins. Just like the seasons of the year change significantly, there are times in our lives when the seasons change significantly. It is important to take advantage of the seasons while they are here so that we can be prepared for future seasons. With these thoughts in our mind if it works out, we plan on having our four Marietta grandkids for a sleepover on Friday night. The time we invest with them now when they are young is important.
In every season of life, we need to seek wisdom, insight, and understanding, so as we break camp for our trek today, let us explore the nuggets of wisdom found in Proverbs. A character trait that seems to be waning in today’s connected environment is that of loyalty. We should be loyal in all areas of life because loyalty is a commitment, which is tied to honesty. In addition to that, verse 22 tells us that…
Loyalty Makes People Attractive
Let’s start our trek with verse 15.
15 Lazy people sleep soundly,
but idleness leaves them hungry.
It does seem like people who are lazy also enjoy an inordinate amount of sleep. They do not relate that their choice to be lazy also causes a lack of results in their life. If a person is unwilling to work and be productive when they should be, then their idleness will leave them in poverty and want.
16 Keep the commandments and keep your life;
despising them leads to death.
God has set up certain unchangeable laws and precepts that apply to all people whether they acknowledge God or not. When we follow these precepts, then the result is very predictable. We will have the rich and satisfying life that God desires for us. If we choose not to follow His precepts, it will lead us down the road of destruction and eventually death.
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
and he will repay you!
The concept of giving to others out of a pure heart is not understood by many. When we help those who are poor and less fortunate than we are, then it is allowing the resources that God has entrusted to us to flow through us. This will allow us to grow in compassion and mature as a person. We will gain wisdom, insight, and understanding. If that was not enough in itself, one of God’s precepts is that He will repay us many times over in both intangible and tangible ways.
18 Discipline your children while there is hope.
Otherwise, you will ruin their lives.
We all need to be disciplined in life and receive discipline to help us to grow and mature. This is especially true of children when they are in their formative years. They are learning the values of right and wrong. Disciplining your children will help them to become wise and mature. Discipline can take many forms and should be tailored to the individual child.
19 Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.
This verse ties in somewhat to the previous one. A hot-tempered person did not learn when he was young that an uncontrolled temper is not acceptable. A person who is habitually hot-tempered will fall into many troubles in life. Even if you do help them, it will be a recurring theme. They must learn that bad behavior is not acceptable.
20 Get all the advice and instruction you can,
so you will be wise the rest of your life.
A sign of a truly wise person is that they are always seeking advice and instruction. They are in a continual pursuit to learn and gain more wisdom. In doing so, wisdom will become part of their very nature.
21 You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
We should all prepare and plan, but also realize that our plans need to be in line with God’s precepts found in His Word. When they are, our plans will align with God’s purpose for us. Sometimes we don’t understand what God has planned for us, so our plans may be set aside by God so that His purpose will prevail.
22 Loyalty makes a person attractive.
It is better to be poor than dishonest.
Loyalty, faithfulness, and honesty are all tied to the same character traits. If we compromise our integrity through a lack of loyalty whether in marriage, work, or business then it is the same as being dishonest. It would be much better to not have money if you have to be disloyal to gain it. Loyalty truly does make a person more attractive.
23 Fear of the Lord leads to life,
bringing security and protection from harm.
Respect and obedience to God lead to living the abundant life. One of the benefits of this is that God brings us security and protection.
24 Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
It is hard for me to imagine, but I do know that there are some people that are so lazy that they won’t even do enough work to take care of themselves. Subsidies from government organizations tend to foster this from those who are not ambitious. In this rather humorous analogy of verse 24, I picture a person who has a chicken leg in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other but just doesn’t want to exert the effort to lift it to his mouth because he is so lazy.
25 If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson;
if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.
Those who are naïve or as they are referred to in this verse, the simpleminded, if receptive will learn when they see others who mock God are punished. They may not learn if they are corrected themselves. Contrary to this, if you correct a person who is already wise, he will gain more wisdom.
26 Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother
are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.
While we should love and respect all people, this is especially true of how we are to treat our parents. Just as it is an abomination for parents to mistreat their children, grown children should honor, respect, and love their parents. It is a disgrace to treat them in any other manner.
27 If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
you will turn your back on knowledge.
We should always be willing and ready to learn. This applies to children of any age. If you turn away from continual learning, it is the same as turning your back on gaining knowledge, and by default, wisdom.
28 A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice;
the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.
Those who lie in court or other legal battles make a joke of the justice system. A person who is wicked at heart not only enjoys it, he gulps it down like a desperate thirsty person in a desert.
29 Punishment is made for mockers,
and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.
Those who choose to mock God and His precepts will suffer punishment. They will suffer directly as a result of their foolishness.
The nuggets of wisdom that we gathered in verses 15-29 of Proverbs 19 provide more tasty morsels of wisdom, insight, and understanding. Regardless of your faith walk, if the precepts in Proverbs are followed, your life will be rich and satisfying. Take them and plant them in your heart so that you will reap a harvest of goodness.
Tomorrow we will hike another short trail of Wisdom Unplugged on which we will discover an inspirational wisdom quote. So encourage your friends and family to join us, and then come along with us tomorrow for another day of our Wisdom-Trek, Creating a Legacy.
That will finish our trek for today. Just as you enjoy your daily dose of wisdom, we ask you to help us grow Wisdom-Trek by sharing with your family and friends through email, Facebook, Twitter, or in person and inviting them to come along with us each day. If you would like to listen to any of the past daily treks, they are available at Wisdom-Trek.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Wisdom-Trek so each trek will be downloaded to you automatically.
Thank you for allowing me to be your guide, mentor, and most of all your friend as I serve you through the Wisdom-Trek podcast and journal.
As we take this trek together, let us always:
- Live Abundantly (Fully)
- Love Unconditionally
- Listen Intentionally
- Learn Continuously
- Lend to others Generously
- Lead with Integrity
- Leave a Living Legacy Each Day
This is Guthrie Chamberlain reminding you to Keep Moving Forward, Enjoy Your Journey, and Create a Great Day Every Day! See you tomorrow!
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