The Return of the Fool (Proverbs 26:11)

Have you ever worked with someone who refused to learn? They’re corrected whenever they make a mistake, but they never seem to do better next time. They just keep on making the same old mistakes over and over again.  

Our problem is that if we’re honest, there is some area of life where we know we’re being foolish, but we refuse to learn. Either we don’t care that we’re doing something wrong, or we’re not willing to do what it takes to make it right.  

The book of Proverbs t

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Delaying Good Feelings for Better Outcomes (Proverbs 25:15)

When I tasted my first cream puff at 10 years old, I thought I was in heaven. They’re so soft, so fluffy, and tasted so good. So obviously, I kept eating more and more of them. In fact, I kept on eating them until I made myself horribly sick. 10-year-old me was very unwise to think I could consume endlessly without any consequences.  

Our world craves instant gratification. Any product and any feeling can be found right at your fingertips. It is not in our nature, nor is it

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Book Review: The Anxious Generation Goes to Church, by Thom S. Rainer

Young people are anxious. In fact, those age 28 and under are roughly two and half times more likely to be dealing with anxiety or depression than those of the same age just 15 years ago.[i]

The rising generations, Gen Z (~1997-2012) and Gen Alpha (~2012-2024), were shaped in their formative years by new technologies – the smart phone, social media, and unlimited (and often unrestricted) internet access. These technologies have had unforeseen effects, and they have created

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Don’t Get Distracted (Proverbs 24:15-20)

We have a problem: we like to help people.

Okay, that’s not a problem: it’s actually a good thing. We are supposed to come alongside one another and be a help to one another.

Galatians 6:1a, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness...” 

The problem is, sometimes we let other people’s problems become our problems in a way that is not healthy or godly. This is where the second part of Gal. 6:1 comes in:

Ga

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Pursuing Sexual Purity (1 Corinthians 6:13-20)

As of mid-2024, 42% of American women and 80% of American men had viewed pornography within the previous year.[i] As of 2021, at least 73% of Americans believed that sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman are morally acceptable.[ii]

But let’s be honest: we don’t need statistics to know that our culture has an increasingly promiscuous view of sexuality. We just need to tune into the latest TV show, open any social media app, or look at the habits of most non-Chr

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Lazy Excuses Part 2 (Proverbs 21:25)

Proverbs 21:25, “The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.” 

Last time, we looked at four lazy (but relatable) excuses to avoid work:  

“It’s too hard.” “I would rather do something else.” “I don’t need to (right now).” “I would rather talk about something else.” 

I’m sure we’ve all fallen prey to one of (if not all of) these excuses at one point or another. But the lazy person finds these excuses to be more than the occasional poor choice – they

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Lazy Excuses Part 1 (Proverbs 22:13)

Proverbs 15:19, “The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.”

Like a sidewalk overgrown with thorns and weeds, the lazy man’s life becomes difficult, frustrating, and painful. In fact, he makes life difficult for himself because he neglects to clear the thorns. He makes excuses, finding any and every way to avoid fulfilling his responsibilities. But in the end, he can’t escape his duties.

How many of us do the very same t

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Wise Worship (Proverbs 21:3)

As New Testament Christians, we know that the Mosaic Law has never saved anyone, and that it cannot save anyone. But at the same time, we often believe that our own rote, pious obedience is what pleases God. If this were true, then no doubt the Law of Moses would have saved a great a many people.

The book of Proverbs speaks to nearly every area of life, including the way that we worship. It does so by teaching us that God desires more than obedience from His people. Worship

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Consider Joseph

Genesis 50:20, “ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good…”

Consider Joseph.

His brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery, lying to their father that he had been slaughtered by a wild animal.

As a servant, Joseph prospered in the house of Potiphar for a time, but then Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of sexual assault. Joseph was imprisoned, unjustly punished for a second time.

He prospered again and was put in charge of the other prisoners. But then w

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Wisdom Reveals Faults (Proverbs 20:9)

As we journey through the book of Proverbs, we are consistently called to live in the everyday wisdom of God. No doubt, we all want to grow in Proverbs’ ways of wisdom. We want to be better spouses, parents, friends, and workers. We want to be more humble and be a more godly influence on people. 

The problem is that, as Proverbs 20:9 reminds us, we can’t: “Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?” The implied answer to Solomon’s question is “no one.”

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