This passage calls for us to reflect on our attitude toward our possessions and our riches. Whether we are rich or poor, we all have challenges.
If you don’t have enough, you depend on others to survive (whether by means of a social system or by friends and relatives). This takes humility. It’s not easy to ask for assistance. What’s more, it’s sometimes a challenge to remain honest, especially when there are pressing needs.
Read More poverty, pride, contentment, Riches, honestyWe are familiar with the slogans that remind us that speeding behind the wheel kills. In today’s reading it’s not a matter of death, but rather that speeding can cause us to miss the goal. It’s interesting to compare driving a car with the way we live our lives. Studies tell us that a pedestrian has a range of vision of 180 degrees, while a driver going at 100 km/h has a range of 45 degrees. If, however, he drives at the speed of 130 km/h, his range of vision is dramatically reduced to 30 degrees.
Read More Speeding, responsibilities, reflection, errorsNothing new under the sun . . . people still enjoy being around success, money, gifts, and receiving public recognition. What strikes us, by contrast, in this reading is the bond between friends and riches.
It’s easy to have lots of friends when you shower them with presents, goodies, trips, privileges and advantages of all sorts! Easy to be surrounded with ‟bought” friendship. But honestly, what kind of friendship is this? If the number of your friends depends on what you give them, then the rich would get more and the poor would lose them.
Read More friendship, gratitude, sincerity“Home sweet home.” Who hasn’t heard this phrase that describes so well the comfort, the warmth, the protection and the well-being of home? Engaged couples always dream of their own place. They ponder such things as decorations, furniture, color schemes and where everything should go. They’ll probably have their future home inspected. This will put their minds at ease as to the solidity of the homes structure, with perhaps special attention given to the condition of the roof. Who would want to live in a house with a leaking roof?
Read More marriage, couples, wisdom, loveA friend was telling me recently about the new security systems on his car. Lane change detecter, detecter to tell him if he is approaching the car in front too quickly, integrated Bluetooth system, and he was telling me that some manufacturers are talking about incorporating a device that will detect if he drops off to sleep. All that to protect us, to ensure our safety, and to keep us in the right lane, at the right speed, and without going to sleep. These technological efforts are completely admirable, and perhaps they help us realize that our spiritual protection is just as important.
Read More protection, security, strayingGood news, there’s hope. Wisdom can be acquired.
Today’s reading presents us with three types of people who can benefit from correction in order to grow up and make progress in what’s profitable.
First, children need correction.
Read More anger, wisdom, correctionWe like making plans. We have expectations for the future. We have been created with this extraordinary capacity to think about the future. We plan our professional and our family lives. We make plans for travel, for holidays. Perhaps we also plan concrete ways in which to serve the Lord. That’s desirable.
If we’re seeking to live according to his wisdom (see v 20), we can be encouraged to expect that our plans will accomplish God’s will.
Read More kindness, plans, God’s willHave you ever heard the expression ”God has given us two ears and one mouth”? The message is clear: we have a tendency to not listen well, or perhaps in the right way. In fact, today’s reading invites us to realize that it’s a sign of intelligence if we accept other people’s comments, and if we’re willing to be taught.
Read More listening, mockersWine and anger are dangerous things. You don’t play with them. You don’t take them lightly. You don’t provoke them. It’s necessary to have them under control if you want to avoid serious problems.
Wine has a sneaky way of weakening our inhibitions: those of restraint, respect and of being in control of ourselves. Take away those inhibitions and all sorts of things can happen: mockery, immorality, loss of respect, all sorts of excess, words we later regret, unacceptable behaviour – and the list goes on.
Read More anger, wine, alcohol, self-control