READ: Proverbs 17
BACKGROUND: One of the best things about Proverbs is that, for the most part, it is very easy to understand even if we occasionally struggle with an unfamiliar word or a confusing metaphor/simile. Yet, while the verses are short and simple, the truth each contains is profound. Not profound in the sense of some new scientific discovery (i.e. “the God particle) so complex it’s impossible for most of us to comprehend…..but profound in the sense that we recognize the truth of the words from personal experience. A couple of years ago, I had a group of very verbal students who would regularly respond out loud to whatever I said (yes, it drove me crazy!) Several times each day they would assent, “Ooooh, Ms. Howard, you know you got that right!” That’s the kind of thing I feel like doing after each of these verses. “Ooooh, you know you got that right!”
If it mentions something dumb that we shouldn’t do, like starting quarrels and wasting money, and talking too much, I just want to say, “Ooooh you know you got that right!” When it mentions how a true friend loves you even when things go wrong, I can picture the good friends who were there in my tough times and say, “ Oooh, you know got that right!” When this book of wisdom describes grandbabies as “a crown to the aged” I just want to shout, “Ooooh, you know you got that really right!” (The amazing grandbaby part – Not the aged part….J)
THINK: As you read, think about your everyday struggles, triumphs, temptations, and joys. Find advice, warning, reproof, and affirmation in these verses.
ASK: Is there something you need to do differently today based on the wisdom of these words? Make the change and reap the benefits of following the only WISE GOD!
By: Deb Howard
throughin2.com 