90 Days of Wisdom: Day 44

The sluggard craves and gets nothing,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. (Proverbs 13:4)

Earl Nightingale once made the statement, "We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service."

The Bible backs this up, as we are reminded over and over of the importance of diligence in our work. We live in a culture where more and more people are looking for something for nothing. Instead of applying themselves at work, they seek to do as little as possible. Many are banking on the lottery to provide for them.

God promises that if we'll work diligently, remembering that ultimately we are doing our work for Him, that we will be rewarded. Today, at work, be the best!

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 43

From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. (Proverbs 12:14)

I'm sure we all understand the importance of hard work and how diligence in our occupations brings rewards. We are rewarded with a paycheck, with promotion, with personal satisfaction, and with more influence within our companies.

Our words have the same effect. When our words are consistently negative--"I'm no good"... "I can't do this"... "you're stupid"... etc., we are speaking curses over against our success in life. Instead of speaking negative things about ourselves and others, we should emphasize the positive: "I can do all things through Christ who strengths me"... "With God's help, I'll get this done"... "You're better than that, let me help you"... etc.

Double your efforts at work, at home, or wherever you may be, by speaking positive, encouraging, affirmative words.

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 42

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3)

Are you walking in integrity or in duplicity? Integrity, at its root meaning, carries the idea of being whole. It means that a person has the same moral code everywhere he goes. He's the same person at work, home, church, or wherever he goes. It also means that one's thoughts and actions are the same.

Duplicity means doubleness of thought, speech or action. It speaks of the person who hides their true intentions with deceptive words or actions. The problem this person has is keeping up with his own lies. His deception finally catches up with him.

Another English translation puts this proverb this way:

Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.

Be honest... even when it hurts... even if it costs you. Lies will only come back to haunt you.

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 41

Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. (Proverbs 10:4)

Back in the '80s, the band Dire Straits had a hit song, "Money for Nothing." It seems that many people have fallen into the trap of some how doing very little but making a lot of money. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. Historically, it never has.

If you want to be successful, you must be diligent. There are two aspects of diligence that must come into play if we are going to acquire wealth. We must be work hard... and we must work smart. We must choose the best career path for us and then we must give it 100%.

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 40

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

Our wisdom and knowledge flows from our world view. When we adopt a humanist or post-modern world view, we ultimately come to a conflict between what we think we know and what God has revealed to us through His Word, the Bible.

All knowledge and all wisdom finds its roots in God. As we grow in our relationship with Him and our understanding of His revealed truth, we grow in knowledge and wisdom.

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 39

Choose my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her. (Proverbs 8:10-11)

Money is alluring. It calls out to us and many people spend their lives seeking it. They work for it, cheat for it, and even gamble for it. Sadly, at the end of their lives many of these end up with nothing.

God's wisdom is more valuable than any of this world's riches. Money may buy a house, but it takes God's wisdom to build a home. Invest time each day growing in God's wisdom. Seek His Word for instruction and knowledge that lasts.

90 Days of Wisdom: Day 38

All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose till an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. (Proverbs 7:22-23)

Adultery... and every other form of immoral sexual activity... looks enticing on the surface, but will cost us more than we would ever want to pay. Adultery and pornography are the road to death. Instead of playing the game of seeing how close to the edge of sin we can walk without falling into it, we need to be doing just the opposite. Let's see how close to God we can walk and keep our lives both clean and free.