Pastor: Pastor Eric

What do you wish for?  What do you hope for?  What would you like to see happen in your life?  The answer to that question might depend on Who you worship.  Let’s read Proverbs 11:23: The desire of the righteous is only good,
But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. This verse is another proverbial contrast.  God is saying that the desires of those who follow Him, those who are made righteous by faith in Him, are only good.  Yet, the expectation of the wicked is wrath.  I would assume that this applies to something beyond eternity.  The Bible also […]

Just one verse this morning…a very interesting and relative one for American culture.  We just went through the Oscar ceremonies last week and what seems to have become the most popular part of the Oscars is the walk on the red carpet and the dresses that the women wear who attend the Oscars.  Unfortunately, there were some who probably had not read Proverbs 11:12 any time recently.  Let’s read it now: As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion. What does this mean?  I think the meaning is relatively clear.  A gold […]

Proverbs marches on with its presentation of contrasts between two different ways; God’s way and the way of the world.  Let’s read Proverbs 11:16-21  A gracious woman retains honor,
But ruthless men retain riches. 17 The merciful man does good for his own soul,
But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.  18 The wicked man does deceptive work,
But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.  19 As righteousness leads to life,
So he who pursues evil pursues it to his own death.  20  Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the Lord,
But the blameless in their ways are […]

Let’s read Proverbs 11:12-15: He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace.  13 A talebearer reveals secrets,
But he who is of a faithful spirit conceals a matter.  14 Where there is no counsel, the people fall;
But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.  15 He who is surety for a stranger will suffer,
But one who hates being surety is secure. I’d like to focus in on verse 14.  The entire Bible is full of exhortation and encouragement for us to be involved with “one another”.  There are over 50 specific commands to pray for […]

Sometimes we think that the choices we make or the “god” that we serve only impacts us individually.  But if we really think about it, that is definitely not the case.  In Proverbs 11:7-11 we see how our choices can impact others.  When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of the unjust perishes.  8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,
And it comes to the wicked instead.  9 The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor,
But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered.  10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
And when the wicked perish, there is […]

Let’s read Proverbs 11:3-6. The integrity of the upright will guide them,
But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.  4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
But righteousness delivers from death.  5 The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way aright,
But the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.  6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the unfaithful will be caught by their lust. Like many proverbs in this section of the book, Proverbs 11 presents us with many contrasts.  I’d like to point out the different verbs used in the contrasts that are given to us.  […]

Let’s read Proverbs 10:22-32 below: The blessing of the Lord makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it.  23 To do evil is like sport to a fool,
But a man of understanding has wisdom.  24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And the desire of the righteous will be granted.  25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.  26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.  27 The fear of the Lord prolongs days,
But the years of the wicked will be […]

Let’s read Proverbs 10:18-21 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.  19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.  20  The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.  21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom. I don’t know who originally said this but the following phrase might have come out of verse 19 above:  “Better to keep silent and let one think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all […]

From W.W. II  we have the phrase “loose lips sink ships”.  This was a propaganda reminder to servicemen and others not to talk loosely about ship deployments/departure times, etc… so as not to divulge information to the enemy which might lead to the enemy being able to attack and/or sink a ship.  There is definitely a lot of potential damage that can be done by “loose lips”. In Proverbs 10:13-17 we see some more things about the mouth of the foolish.  Let’s read them now: Wisdom is found on the lips of him who has understanding,
But a rod is for […]

Under the Cover of Love A well known phrase is “under the cover of darkness”.  When military or other maneuvers are done in the dark, the events are “covered” or hidden by the darkness.  The events still take place, but they can’t be seen by others, or they are ignored by others because they can’t be seen.  Let’s read Proverbs 10:8-12: The wise in heart will receive commands,
But a prating fool will fall.  9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.  10 He who winks with the eye causes trouble,
But a prating fool will […]