proverbs Archives - Hope Reflected

Friday

29

September 2023

What are you getting at?

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

Verses from the book of Proverbs about thinking before we speak

Verses from Proverbs about thinking before you speak. Read more on hopereflected.com

Getting the last word

Proverbs 4:7 tells us that “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

It seems in life that we use all our getting for things other than wisdom and understanding.

In conversation, we’re more eager about getting the last word in than we are actually listening to what others have to say. We get caught up in getting everything off our chests and venting instead of waiting to react and respond. We’re taken up with getting, but sometimes what we’re getting isn’t good for us, and makes us into fools instead of wise people.

Responding without listening

We’re all guilty of it; in the middle of a conversation, instead of actively listening, we tend to formulate our next statement.

Proverbs 14:3 says that “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride: but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.”

When we respond without listening, we are being foolish. Matthew Henry wrote that “Where there is pride in the heart, and no wisdom in the head to suppress it, it commonly shows itself in the words…”. Someone once said that the problem with closed-minded people is that their mouths are always open. People who are closed-minded are often that way because they’re more interested in the sound of their own voice than they are in listening to what others have to say.

Getting everything off your chest

As Proverbs 18:2 tells us, “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.” Wise people want to understand, and so they think before they speak. They’re more interested in getting understanding than they are getting the last word.

While a fool is more interested in getting everything off his chest, a wise person understands the value in purposefully processing before speaking. Wise people think before they speak. “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” (Proverbs 29:11).

Holding your peace

At one time or another, we’ve all been reminded to “sleep on it” or to “take a breath” before responding to a rude comment, a terse work email, or a backwards compliment. Sometimes, a fresh perspective helps us see that perhaps no response is best. Careful consideration in a conversation can save us from saying something we’ll regret.

I believe it was Mark Twain who wrote that “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.” In Proverbs 17:28 we read that “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

Getting understanding > getting your point across

This is not to suggest that we should go around quietly and never speak up and speak out, however we ought to know when to speak and when to hold our tongues. While getting everything off our chests may be tempting, there is a time and place to speak and to be silent.

When it comes to our words, we should be more interested in getting understanding than getting our point across.

Originally published as “What are you getting at?” Independent Plus. July 14, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

17

August 2023

Careful cultivation

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

We learn how to be content through careful cultivation

Careful cultivation produces contentment. Read more about learning how to be content on hopereflected.com

“Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.” (Proverbs 13:23)

There’s an old saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side.” A rebuttal to this common phrase is that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it’s greenest where you water it. We neglect to care for our own lawn when we are focused on someone else’s. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and I would suggest that comparison is also the thief of contentment.

Tillage requires hard work

In Proverbs 13:23, we read that “Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.” Tillage, earth that’s cultivated for the first time, requires hard work if it’s done by hand (and at the time this Proverb was written, tilling ground would have been a manual process). To gather “much food” from the garden requires equal parts diligence and hard work.

While hard work is, well, hard, it produces contentment and as a result, the returns are often great. To work hard requires as much strength of character as strength of body. Like the poor described in Proverbs 13:23, you may not have much, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t make the best of what you do have. On the other hand, you may have everything but end up in ruin because you don’t make the best of what you have. Rather than be content, conceit often destroys our judgment and we end up living beyond our means.

Do the best with what you have

Don’t be deceived into thinking that just because you don’t have a lot that it doesn’t matter. On the contrary, the smallest gifts can be of great value when stewarded properly! Alexander MacLaren wrote in Expositions of Holy Scripture that “responsibility does not diminish with the size of the gifts, but that there is as great responsibility for the use of the smallest as for the use of the largest…”.

“…responsibility does not diminish with the size of gifts,
but that there is as great responsibility
for the use of the smallest as for the use of the largest…”
Alexander MacLaren

The stay-at-home mom who gives of herself in raising a household of children and not getting paid at all can be just as content and have just as much impact—if not more—than the person running a large organization and earning millions. Careful cultivation produces contentment, while carelessness in any capacity produces discontentment. The difference between contentment and discontentment is stewardship of what one has been given. Many a great man has been destroyed for want of judgment.

Being a good steward of what God has given us

How are we tilling the ground that we’ve been given? Whether we start with a little or a lot, Jesus said that “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away that which he hath.” (Matthew 25:29). Whether our plot of land is small or great, the faithfulness with which we steward it today will determine the impact tomorrow.

“Much may be made of slender gifts, small resources, and limited opportunities if carefully cultivated, as they should be, and as their very slenderness should stimulate their being.” (Alexander MacLaren)

Originally published as “Careful cultivation.” Independent Plus. June 9, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Wednesday

10

May 2023

An unlikely mother

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. (Proverbs 31:27) | Read more about Ruth and "An unlikely mom" on hopereflected.com

When we think of mothers, Ruth isn’t usually the first mom who comes to mind.

We don’t know much about Ruth’s history previous to her being married to one of Naomi’s sons, but we do know that Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, had a great influence in Ruth’s life. Naomi’s influence was so great that when Ruth’s husband died, rather than return to her own family, Ruth chose to stay with her mother-in-law.

Ruth was diligent, hard-working, and not afraid to get her hands dirty.

When describing the virtuous woman, Proverbs 31:13 says that “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.” Ruth said to Naomi, “Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace.” (Ruth 2:2). Because of the Levitical law, ever year farmers in Israel left some of the grain in their fields for the poor to gather. Ruth took part in this program, to provide food for herself and Naomi.

Ruth also demonstrated a spirit of selflessness.

Ruth dedicated her life to serving her mother-in-law, Naomi. “She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.” (Proverbs 31:27). Ruth looked after her household and put the needs of another before her own. We read in Ruth’s history that “she happened on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz,” (Ruth 2:3). Ruth’s coming to Boaz’s field wasn’t something that happened by chance; it was God who guided her there. Because of Ruth’s willingness to work and to live a life of service to someone else, God worked in her life and blessed her in a great way.

Further, Ruth demonstrated wisdom.

“She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” (Proverbs 31:26). In Ruth 2:7, we read that Ruth asked permission to glean and gather in the fields. She said, “I pray you, let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves:” (Ruth 2:7). As part of the Levitical law, Ruth didn’t have to ask permission to glean and gather, but out of respect, she did.

Ruth cared about a job well done.

Ruth provides an example of a woman who not only worked hard, but cared about a job well done. “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.” (Proverbs 31:18). Ruth didn’t know that she was being watched as she gleaned and gathered, but the quality of her work was observed by the reapers’ supervisor, and reported to Boaz, the owner of the field. He was impressed. Because Ruth cared about the quality of her work, God used her to make an impression on the people around her. We never know who’s watching how we live and how we work.

Ruth certainly wasn’t born with all the advantages in life. We don’t know who her mother was, but we do know that her mother-in-law had an incredible influence in her life, and was instrumental in the choices that led to Ruth being included as part of Jesus’s genealogy.

Originally published as “An unlikely mother.” Independent Plus. May 5, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Monday

1

May 2023

Why do the heathen rage?

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

“And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri:” (2 Samuel 20:1-2).

Just when it seemed that things couldn’t get any worse for David, he was faced with a rebellion, led by Sheba, a man of Belial and the son of Bichri. It seemed as though things would never go right for David. On the heels of one uprising, Sheba caused another, and quickly new allegiances were formed: The men of Israel followed Sheba; the men of Judah followed David.

Rebelling against God

Upon reading through 2 Samuel, Sheba doesn’t appear to be a significant character in the life of David. He’s mentioned a few times near the beginning of chapter 20, and then disappears until the end of the chapter, when his head gets cut off and thrown out of the city to Joab (vv. 21-22). Why should such a minor character matter at all? There’s a greater lesson here. Rather than follow David and submit to his leadership, Sheba opted to go his own way, and he took others with him. Maybe that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but upon realization that David was God’s anointed, Sheba was really rebelling against God.

When people rage

David wrote in Psalm 2, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed…” (vv. 1-2). Whether in ancient times or present day, there’s no denying the damage and discouragement that result when people rage, and when they live only for themselves. Raging for “the right” to kill a baby in the womb, right up until birth, or raging on other people because they have a different opinion.

No question at all to Him

While we deal with all kinds of rage here on earth, Psalm 2 continues, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.” (v. 4). The things that work us up here, that make us question God’s purpose, or how or why things are going the way they are, are really no question at all to Him. Matthew Henry wrote that “Sinners’ follies are the just sport of God’s infinite wisdom and power; and those attempts of the kingdom of Satan which in our eyes are formidable in his are despicable.”

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Proverbs 14:12

Sheba’s rebellion, while it was worrisome for David, was of no matter to God. Sheba met a tragic end, hunted by David’s army and having his head cut off (2 Samuel 20:21-22). We may think we know better than God or that we have a better way than His, but in the end, it will only lead to our demise. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12).

Originally published as “Why do the heathen rage?” Independent Plus. June 2, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

23

June 2022

What’s in your safety deposit box?

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

What’s in your safety deposit box?

“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

My grandmother referred to the heart as the safety deposit box of your life. A safety deposit box is used to store items of utmost importance and value, things that you don’t want to lose or don’t want to be stolen – things that you don’t want to misplace and that you want to keep with you for the long-term.

Safety deposit boxes come with two keys: One stays with the owner, and the master key stays with the bank. The idea behind this is to protect against any unwanted access to your safety deposit box. Also, if you lose the key to your safety deposit box, you can show your ID to the bank and regain your access.

Why all the security for such a seemingly small thing?

As the owner of my heart, I get to control what goes into it through what I see, what I read, what I hear, and the things I think about. As a Christian, God should have the overall master key to my heart to help me guard the contents. Why all the security for such a seemingly small thing?

What we put into our hearts matters. What we put into our hearts determines what comes out of them. Think of our hearts as the fountain from which our morality (or lack thereof) flows. This fountain can only produce fresh water or foul. Jesus told the disciples (Matt. 15:11-19), “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:”

Because by our sinful nature our hearts produce such tempers, we must guard our hearts more carefully than anything else. Our hearts are incredibly impressionable. This is why David, famously known as a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), asked the Lord to “Create in me a clean heart, O God;” (Psalm 51:10). By nature, our hearts are not clean. It’s only with the Lord’s help and work in us that we can get the contents of our hearts right.

“Be careful, it’s my heart”

Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn is one of my all-time favourite films. In it, Bing Crosby’s character Jim Hardy sings the song, “Be careful, it’s my heart”. The lyrics go like this: “It’s not my watch you’re holding, it’s my heart. It’s not the note I sent you that you quickly burned. It’s not the book I lent you that you never returned. Remember, it’s my heart.” Our hearts are delicate and fragile, and it’s critical that we keep them with all diligence.

“Our hearts are delicate and fragile,
and it’s critical that we keep them with all diligence.”
Hope Reflected

In 2 Peter 1:5, Peter wrote about adding virtue to our faith by “giving all diligence”. To keep our heart with diligence requires work, and it requires sacrifice. Diligence requires carefulness and consistency; it’s not a one-time thing. “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:” (Proverbs 23:7). We think about what we see and what we hear, and we must be careful to consider the qualities of the contents we’re putting in our hearts.

Originally published as “What’s in your security deposit box?” Independent Plus. January 27, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

Thursday

4

November 2021

Countenance Sharpeners

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

"And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:" Hebrews 10:24 | Read more of Coutenance Sharpeners on hopereflected.com

The victor’s material

In Biblical times, iron was the victor’s material for weapons of war. We read in Judges that Judah could not defeat the Philistines of the valley “because they had chariots of iron.” (1:19). Before the days of steel, iron was popular for the making of swords and other weapons, because it was stronger and could be sharpened better than other prominent metals of the time period.

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17 | Read more on hopereflected.com

Sharpening is important

In woodworking, a dull blade can ruin a good piece of wood. In the kitchen, an unsharpened knife can cause serious injury to the person using it. King Solomon wrote in Proverbs 27:17 that as “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Good friends help to keep each other sharp. You know the feeling when you finish a conversation with a good friend, and you feel better, lighter, and refreshed? That is the countenance sharpening that Solomon referred to. True friends help to refine, encourage us to grow in wisdom, and point us to the Lord. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” (Hebrews 10:24). True friends prepare us for action.

Realignment and straightening

Many people have a knife set in their kitchen. A standard knife set usually includes an unusual-looking column of steel or ceramic. This tool is called a honing rod. Contrary to popular belief, a honing rod doesn’t actually sharpen knives. A honing rod is used to realign and straighten knife blades that have become blunt or curled. Beyond countenance sharpening, a good friend offers correction when we’re going astray. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:2 that in addition to exhorting one another, we are to reprove and rebuke when necessary. Jesus Himself said that when a brother sins against us, we’re to “go and tell him his fault,” (Matthew 18:15). As much as we all need sharpening, we also need to be realigned and straightened out once in a while, too!

"True friends help to keep each other sharp. They help to refine, to encourage, and to grow." | Read more of Countenance Sharpeners on hopereflected.com

True friends point one another to Christ

Some commentaries suggest that to “sharpen” in Proverbs 27:17 is to antagonize or exasperate. A true friend doesn’t provoke; a true friend promotes others to be better people and most importantly points their friends toward Christ. Anything contrary to this is not friendship.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Four Loves that, “In friendship… we think we have chosen our peers…for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,’ can truly say to every group of Christian friends, ‘Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.’ Friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to us the beauties of others.” The opposite of sharp is to be dull, blunt, or blurred. We’ve all had occasions where we’ve felt less than our best. In such times, it is prayer answered to have a friend come alongside to sharpen our countenance.

“It is prayer answered to have a friend come alongside to sharpen our countenance.”
Hope Reflected

Originally published as “Countenance sharpeners.” Independent Plus. June 10, 2021: 5. Print. Web.

Wednesday

15

April 2020

Counsellors of Peace

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Encouragement

“Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil, but to the counsellors of peace is joy.”
Proverbs 12:20

The Bible is filled with verses about peace. We are all familiar with Psalm 34:14, John 16:33, Hebrews 12:14, Colossians 3:15, and more. Perhaps one of the lesser referenced verses on the topic is Proverbs 12:20. Proverbs 12:20 refers to “counsellors of peace”, and that one of the benefits to such people is joy.

Are we counsellors of peace? Are we sowing peace in our relationships, and cultivating the characteristic? It can be hard, especially when there is uncertainty all around. Counsellors of peace are those who promote peace not just in their own lives, but in the lives of others as well. In Gill’s Exposition, he describes counsellors of peace like this:

“…such who consult the good of others, who advise to peace, concord, and unity; who seek to cultivate it in their families and neighbourhoods, and in the church of God…”
John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible

How can we become counsellors of peace, as described in Proverbs 12:20?

Rather than fretting about our circumstances, may we find our confidence in God. (Proverbs 14:26)
Instead of complaining, may we practice an attitude of gratitude (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Remember that though we may not understand the timing, we can rest in the fact that God is in control. (Luke 12:22-26)
When we are going through challenging and uncertain times, may we remember that nothing is a surprise to God. (Revelation 1:17)

We have peace when we have a relationship with God. In this life, we will never find peace in and of ourselves, but only when we look to Him and His Word.

“And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.”
James 3:18

Monday

23

September 2019

Our walk with God

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

Beware the bunny trails

“One road leads home and a thousand roads lead into the wilderness,” C.S. Lewis once said. Recently during a conversation, I commented about getting off topic and going down a “bunny trail,” as I referred to it. How easy it is to veer off course and head down the wrong path, not just in conversation, but in our walk with God as well.

The book of Proverbs is filled with references to pathways and footsteps, walking and ways. The book of Proverbs is widely attributed to Solomon, and each chapter is filled with life hacks that are as relevant to us today as they were a few thousand years ago. “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly,” Solomon wrote, “He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.” (Proverbs 2:7-8)

God preserves our way and keeps our feet

A direct reference to Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel, Proverbs 2:7-8 is an important reminder that it is God Who preserves our way and keeps our feet. In Proverbs 2:13, Solomon wrote that men “…leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness.” When we get sidetracked from our walk with God, we head straight into darkness. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.” (Proverbs 4:18-19) Bunny trails on our walk with God can start out innocently enough; in fact, oft times we don’t even know we’re headed down one. In order to stay on the right path, we have to seek after God to preserve our way and keep our feet.

Our walk with God requires action

Our walk with God requires action. We have to receive God’s words, we have to take to heart His commandments, incline our ears to wisdom, apply our hearts and lift our voices up to understanding, cry after knowledge, seek after Him as silver, search after Him as for hid treasure – we have to act to understand the fear of the LORD and to find the knowledge of God. “For the LORD giveth wisdom,” Proverbs 2:6, “out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”

We have to keep our focus on God

It seems so easy in theory, until we try to put it into practice. The readying ourselves for work each day, preparing meals, cleaning house, taking care of the yard – there are endless activities that can convolute our time with God and distract our gaze from the Giver to all that we have to give in order to make a life. Wisdom isn’t something we’re born with; wisdom is a gift from God. “He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous,” (Proverbs 2:7). To lay up means to give, which suggests that what wisdom any of us have comes from our walk with God. In our walk with God, we have to purposefully beware the bunny trails and keep our focus on Him if we want Him to preserve our way and keep our feet. As C.S. Lewis once said, “Relying on God has to start all over everyday as if nothing has yet been done.”

Originally published as “Our walk with God.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. July 11, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

Friday

16

August 2019

Don’t be conformed, be transformed

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2) | Read more at hopereflected.com

We can learn a lot from the monarch butterfly

For the past few years, Wes and I have tried to garden with pollinators in mind. We’ve specifically sought out plants that we understand to be attractive to monarch butterflies. Milkweed, elderberry, and zinnias are a few. This year, we’ve added to our collection with American plum trees, through our community’s pollinator-friendly plant sale.

Wes and I have both always loved monarch butterflies. Call them the ugly duckling or the little engine that could, but whether considering the butterfly’s transition from caterpillar to butterfly, or its annual cross-continental journey, we can learn a lot from the monarch.

The monarch butterfly goes through multiple stages of metamorphosis as it grows from larva to caterpillar and then to its final form as the formidable butterfly. Through each of these stages, we don’t see the monarch compare itself to the creatures around it; it just grows where the Lord has placed it. The monarch concentrates on its development rather than making comparisons. Galatians 6:4 tells us, “Let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”

Concentrate on development rather than making comparisons

Don’t compare yourself to others. Where they’re at on their walk has nothing to do with you, and we all know that comparison is the thief of joy. Career, education, children, finances, and even your spiritual growth – these are all areas in which we’re tempted to make comparisons to others. In moments when you find yourself making comparisons, remember this: You are an individual, one of God’s unique creations. “Your hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.” (Psalm 119:73)

Keep your eyes on the Lord

By not comparing itself to others, the monarch butterfly is able to concentrate on the purpose for which God intended it. Through its various stages of development, the focus of the butterfly is on the work at hand. “Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.” (Proverbs 4:25-26)

When priorities are competing, plans are challenging, and people are comparing, it’s easy to get sidetracked. Spiritual growth requires a great deal of focus on God’s Word, a dedication to time alone with Him, and an earnest desire to serve the Lord. When you truly long to live God’s will for your life, you can be sure that the devil will try darn hard to distract you. Stay strong, and remain focused. The psalmist said in Psalm 1 that we should meditate on God’s Word day and night. Keep your eyes on the Lord. (Hebrews 12:2)

Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

The monarch butterfly is committed to the long game, and each of us would do well to learn from that type of determination. The monarch makes its migration every year from southern Ontario deep into parts of Mexico. That’s commitment! Think of the adversity that such a small creation could encounter throughout its cross-continental journey – from hungry animals and traveling cars to adverse weather and weary wings – and yet it presses on.

“Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:5) Are we in it for the long haul, like the apostle Paul said? Are we forgetting the things behind and reaching forward to the things before, pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus? (Phil. 3:13-14) Or are we looking for earthly glory and exploring our own self-interests?

For God’s good, true, and perfect will, don’t be conformed, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2)

Originally published as “Don’t be conformed, be transformed.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. May 2, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

Monday

1

July 2019

Be Bold

Written by H, Posted in Christian Living, Published Work

We can be bold because our confidence rests in the Creator

“The righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1) Today, boldness is not often a characteristic that is associated with Christians, however it is a trait that each of us should have. While it’s certainly not the popular thing to stand up for Biblical truth and Christian values, that is exactly what we are called to do. How can we put on the whole armour of God if we aren’t being bold? To be bold – in the Biblical sense – doesn’t mean to be proud or full of yourself; to be bold is to be strong, to be courageous, to stand up for the truth, and to go forward in confidence. A.W. Tozer once said that, “Christians should be the boldest people in the world; not cocky and sure of ourselves, but sure of Him.”

Meekness means being bold

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was certainly bold, and we also read throughout the New Testament that Jesus was meek. To be bold requires us to be meek. Often confused with weakness – perhaps because the two words rhyme? – meekness is actually the opposite of weakness. Meekness was one of Christ’s attributes. “For I am meek and lowly in heart,” He said in Matthew 11:29. To be meek is to be humble, to be true, and to be assured but not arrogant. As 2 Timothy 2:25 instructs us, we are to instruct those that oppose us “in meekness”. Meekness doesn’t mean being confrontational, but it does mean being bold.

Because of Christ, we can and should be bold

To be bold also requires us to know what we believe and why, and to “be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15). We can live boldly when we have a solid understanding of God’s Word. Christ said in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” We can only have that boldness when we have God’s Word in our heart. Studying the Scriptures and memorizing Bible verses are two excellent ways to grow in your faith and to gain a deeper understanding – and appreciation for – God’s Word. In 2 Timothy 2:15, we understand that we are to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

We need not to be ashamed of our faith; we need to be bold. When you’re feeling timid, consider this: We can be bold because our confidence rests in the Creator of the universe. We are created in His image (Genesis 1:27). We have the privilege of going to God at any time, regardless of where we are or what’s going on around us. In fact, Christ invites us to cast all our cares at His feet! Because of Him, we can and should be bold. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Originally published as “Be Bold.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. February 14, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

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proverbs Archive

29

Verses from the book of Proverbs about thinking before we speak

Getting the last word

Responding without listening

Getting everything off your chest

Holding your peace

Getting understanding > getting your point across

Originally published as “What are you getting at?” Independent Plus. July 14, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

17

We learn how to be content through careful cultivation

Tillage requires hard work

Do the best with what you have

Being a good steward of what God has given us

Originally published as “Careful cultivation.” Independent Plus. June 9, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

10

When we think of mothers, Ruth isn’t usually the first mom who comes to mind.

Ruth was diligent, hard-working, and not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Ruth also demonstrated a spirit of selflessness.

Further, Ruth demonstrated wisdom.

Ruth cared about a job well done.

Originally published as “An unlikely mother.” Independent Plus. May 5, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

1

Rebelling against God

When people rage

No question at all to Him

Originally published as “Why do the heathen rage?” Independent Plus. June 2, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

23

What’s in your safety deposit box?

Why all the security for such a seemingly small thing?

“Be careful, it’s my heart”

Originally published as “What’s in your security deposit box?” Independent Plus. January 27, 2022: 5. Print. Web.

4

The victor’s material

Sharpening is important

Realignment and straightening

True friends point one another to Christ

Originally published as “Countenance sharpeners.” Independent Plus. June 10, 2021: 5. Print. Web.

15

23

Beware the bunny trails

God preserves our way and keeps our feet

Our walk with God requires action

We have to keep our focus on God

Originally published as “Our walk with God.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. July 11, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

16

We can learn a lot from the monarch butterfly

Concentrate on development rather than making comparisons

Keep your eyes on the Lord

Press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus

Originally published as “Don’t be conformed, be transformed.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. May 2, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

1

We can be bold because our confidence rests in the Creator

Meekness means being bold

Because of Christ, we can and should be bold

Originally published as “Be Bold.” Minto Express, Independent Plus, Arthur Enterprise-News, Mount Forest Confederate, Walkerton Herald-Times. February 14, 2019: 6. Print. Web.

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