Tag Archives: wisdom

November 13
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“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20, NIV)

There is not a more succinct statement of what the disciple of Jesus should aspire than what we read in today’s scripture.

Whomever first uttered the bromide: “The reason God gave us two ears and one mouth is because we should listen twice as much as we talk,” was on to something.  We all should major in listening and minor in speaking!

When you “listen” with every sense the Lord has given you, you will see what others do not see; you will hear what others cannot hear; and when you are compelled to speak, your words will convey the wisdom of God.  – Luther

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October 29
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“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:13, NIV)

“Character” is often defined as “who you are when no one else is looking.” Be certain of this: Someone else is always looking.

The kind of things we would say about someone if that person were listening; the kind of things we would do if we knew that we would see it replayed on television or on “You Tube”; and the places we would go (or not go) if we were alone and unobserved, form the basis accountable behavior.

Trouble, embarrassment, and ruin are certain when individuals, organizations, and governments cease being ever mindful of the fact that each is accountable, regardless of perceived power, prestige, or privacy.

The wise person is mindful that every day of his or her life is “on the books.”  – Luther

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September 19
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“Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” (Proverbs 23: 4-5, NIV)

There is an old ditty about money that goes like this: “Money talks, and that’s no lie; I heard it once, it said, ‘bye-bye.'”

God’s wisdom reminds of the deceitfulness of riches, and warns us of the perils of chasing money. The bumper sticker says, “He who dies with the most toys wins.” However, the “winner” still dies and all of the “toys” he has accumulated will pass to someone else in an estate sale — or in a garage sale — at a small fraction of the original retail price!

The wise person works for the treasure that “moth and rust cannot corrupt; and thieves cannot break-in and steal.” The wise person does not work for the treasure that is here today and gone tomorrow; but for the treasure that is earned today and is remembered by the Creator of the universe for all time.  – Luther

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