In the Middle

I am a middle child. Growing up, I was too little to do what the big kids do, too big to act like the little ones! "It ain't easy being me!"

It's good to be in the middle of some things. I'm in the middle of a project. I drive in the middle of country roads to avoid the hazards along the edge. I am in the middle of a great book I'm reading.

It's not so good to be in the middle of some other things. I was caught in the middle of this huge traffic jam. We're in the middle of allergy season. He or she likes to be in the middle of things.

Ah! It's that last "in the middle" that often gets us into difficulty!

4Not every conversation I hear is intended to include me. If I decide to "butt in," I'd better be certain what I have to say is going to be welcomed. Staying out of the middle is well-advised.

4Not every problem that I observe someone having requires my input. Really think about it before getting in the middle.

4Not every dramatic situation that is brought to me for pity actually needs a pitying response. Stay out of the middle.

4Not everyone needs me to defend them. Stay out of the middle.

4Not every idea that floats through my head deserves to be spoken. "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool," Abraham Lincoln said, "than to speak out and remove all doubt." Stay out of the middle.

4Not every idea presented by someone else has to have my approval or veto. It's often wisest to stay out of the middle.

4Not every experience of mine makes me an expert on a seemingly similar experience of someone else. For sure, stay out of the middle!

4Not every issue—theological, political, or social—requires me to have a fully-formed, defendable opinion on the matter. Wait a good long while before getting in the middle of debate.

4Not every cause, regardless how good, has a claim to my resources. Be careful how many of those "middles" I get into.

It seems, doesn't it, that I am better off not being in the middle of a lot of business that is not strictly my own? This doesn't necessarily mean lack of caring. If you look back over the list, you will see that it mainly means not talking too much!

The Book of Proverbs has some good advice about talking. Here are a few verses, and there are many more:

• Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. (10:19)

• Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything. (13:3)

• The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words. (15:28)

• A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered. (17:27)

Remembering these Scriptures will help me stay out of the middle of things that are "none of my beeswax"—the softer way of saying "This is none of your business," used often by those bigger kids in my little life!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Spinning Our Wheels

Fresh snow fell during the night, and I was awakened by the sound of a roaring motor on the street near my window. I could hear the whine of spinning wheels, and I knew someone was stuck in the ice and snow. There were only a few inches of snow, not enough to severely "high center" a vehicle, so I decided the person didn't know how to drive in snow or was just too impatient to apply what he/she knew.

Easy does it when you're trying to get unstuck from snow. You have to resist the temptation to give it the gas and try to blast your way through; the hot, spinning tires just make the snow more icy and slippery. Keeping the wheels straight and moving back and forth, back and forth, even just a few inches at a time, usually builds up enough momentum that eventually you can drive out on the snow-packed runway you've created.

How often in life, when things aren't going well, we give in to the desperate feeling that if we just try harder, try harder, try harder something will happen. But sometimes we are only spinning our wheels. We are not making headway by simply repeating what we have already been doing, except with greater intensity. Especially if our attempts to get "unstuck" involve personal encounters, the others involved are likely to feel our impatience, frustration, and anger. They might even think it is directed at them, burying us still further in the troubling situation.

Easy does it. Gently move forward a tiny bit at a time. When you meet resistance but before you start "spinning your wheels," back up just a little, then try moving forward again slowly. Whether you're snowed in by snow or snowed under by the things and people you're dealing with, spinning your wheels only makes thing worse. Getting unstuck is an exercise in wisdom and restraint.

MaryMartha

Art from http://www.sxc.hu/

Learning from Swimmy

Do you remember Swimmy? He is the one little black fish in a school of fish living in the sea. ("Swimmy," an enduring children's classic, written by Leo Lionni, 1963) Swimmy is different from the others, as they are all shiny and red, while he is as black as can be. They all swim happily together.

Lesson that people can learn from the story of Swimmy: Different is okay. We can still all "swim" together.

One day a big hungry tuna fish comes and swallows every one of those little fish in a single gulp—all except Swimmy. Only he is left, all alone in his big wet world. At first, Swimmy is lonely and sad. Then he begins to swim around and discover all sorts of amazing things: jellyfish, a lobster and an eel, seaweeds and anemones.

Lesson to learn: If we keep our eyes open, there may be something good for us to discover, even in the situation that first presented itself as a personal disaster.

At last Swimmy discovers another school of fish, just his size, and all of them are shiny red just like the fish he used to hang out with. But instead of swimming around, they are all hiding in the dark places of the sea. When he asks them to come and swim with him and see all there is to see, they refuse because they are afraid they will be eaten by the bigger fish. "But you can't just lie there," Swimmy tells them. "We have to think of something."

Lesson from Swimmy's new friends: Fear keeps us from venturing out of our "safe" place. Fear keeps us from experiencing wonderful things. Fear keeps us from thinking straight.

At last Swimmy says, "I have it!" He teaches all the little fish to swim close together in formation so that they look like one huge red fish moving through the sea.

Lesson from Swimmy: Obviously, teamwork can accomplish what many small individuals cannot. "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Then, because Swimmy is black and looks different from the rest of the huge fish-shape they have formed, he says, "I'll be eye." And so they all swim together and chase the big fishes away.

Lesson from Swimmy's story: Different is not only okay, it is absolutely necessary!

"Swimmy" is one of my favorite children's stories. Not only is it a work of art, but it has so much to say. It isn't really a stretch to see that the ideas it presents are not at all foreign to our life of faith. And those lessons are not juvenile!

><> Differences? The Apostle Peter said, "I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right." (Acts 10:34, 35) Paul writes, "There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28)

><> Look for what is good. ”And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28)

><> Fear? "For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (I Timothy 1:7) “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

><> Teamwork is the key. "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct." (Galatians 6:2-5)

><> We need each other. "Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." (Romans 12:3-5)

Thanks for reminding us, Swimmy!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

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The Next Right Thing

I was reading the account today of a horrific plane crash in which an airliner, flying at night, smashed into a mountain peak. As the author described the incidents leading up to the accident, determined by investigations afterward, he emphasized that first one little thing went wrong, then another and another, one little mistake followed another, until finally the terrible outcome was inevitable.

What is true of so many tragedies is true also of occasions where we see God's marvelous Providence. We are not faced on an everyday basis with life-changing decisions, but every single day we do encounter little choices and we act in little ways that, if considered all by themselves, are pretty insignificant. But just as surely as a series of small things led to an air disaster, a series of small things can culminate in an amazing positive change in our lives.

Sometimes we are faced with what seems like an impossible situation, or a decision we simply cannot make, or a tangled relationship that overwhelms us. Our dilemma may not call for some huge action or decision undertaken all at once. Many times, perhaps most of the time, we will find our way if we just do the next right thing, even that little thing. The Scripture does not promise us that "The leaps of a good man/woman are ordered by the Lord." Instead, we are assured that the Lord guides our steps, those little decisions and actions taken one at a time.

Just do the next right thing.

MaryMartha

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Time Enough

Do you sometimes feel that your days are chopped up into tiny little pieces? All the things that call for your attention may make you feel as though you are being pulled in a great many directions all at once.

Perhaps there are many small—but urgent—tasks at work so that you cannot give your best energy to the one thing that requires special concentration. At home, there seem always to be interruptions that take you away from what you had planned and perhaps desperately need to do. Maybe there is in your life a friend or family member who, for the hundredth time, demands your immediate response. Some of our days just refuse to flow with easy grace. They unravel around the edges and get ragged. We try to stitch them together, but the seams show.


"I don't have time for that," we lament. "If I just had more time . . ." The truth is—and we've heard it often—we all have the same amount of time. Sixty minutes in an hour, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That is enough, although we often feel the pressure that comes from trying to wring something extra out of our allotment. The Irish have a wise old saying: "When God made time, He made plenty of it." That echoes what was said by the wisest man ever. "Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble." (Ecclesiastes 8:5, 6) The time we have is enough, or else we shall have to accuse God of cheating us out of something we need!

God created time. He rolled eternity up on one side and everlasting up on the other, and into the chasm between the two, He dropped time. He placed us in it, limiting what we know and what we can accomplish to just that little span of our lifetimes. We feel so strong about our limitations, however, that we sometimes see time as an enemy. It has changed the way we feel about some people, or how they feel about us. It has taken its toll on our health or on that of someone we care about. Time has robbed us, we think, of opportunities that are now lost. Time has just about worn us out with waiting for some things to become what we have hoped for; it has made impossible the changing of some things that are into what we wish they were. Time sometimes seems like an inexorable foe, marching relentlessly on us.

But time is the stuff that life is made of, and life is a gift, measured out to us one "now" at a time. God can help us be wise, so that we will find a time and a way to do what is right!

MaryMartha

Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

How to Tell a Friend

Six little mice sat down to spin.
Kitty passed by, and she peeped in.

"What are you doing, my little men?"

We're making coats for gentlemen."




"May I come in and cut off the threads?"

"No, no, Miss Kitty! You'd bite off our heads!"




"Oh no, I won't. I'll help you spin."

"That may be so, but you can't come in!"



-- from Mother Goose

That was my public speaking debut when I was age four! The occasion was the last-day-of-school program and picnic, held at the one-room rural schoolhouse which I later attended, from the first grade through the eighth.

Those were very smart little mice. They knew that not everyone who passes by is your friend. So how do you know who really is?

Here are just a few of the ways that you can tell a friend.

* A friend gives himself/herself. "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13 NLT) There are many ways other than dying that friends lay down their lives—in time, resources, energy. The famous friendship in the Bible illustrates this. Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

* A friend tells the truth. "An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship." (Proverbs 24:26 NLT)

* A friend is faithful. "A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need . . . There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." (Proverbs 17:17; 18:24 NLT) "If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble . . A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:10, 12 MSG)

* A friend is trustworthy. "Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!" (Proverbs 25:13 MSG)

* A friend gives good (if any) advice. "Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket . . . The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense. (Proverbs 25:11; 27:9 NLT)

About Miss Kitty as a friend? No, I don't think so. Not everyone who wants to befriend you is going to be worthy of being called a friend. Friends don't use you for their own agenda. Friends don't lie. They don't desert you when things are tough. Friends are reliable. They don't pretend to have the answers all the time, but they're willing to share any wisdom they have.

"A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray." (Proverbs 12:26 NKJV) It pays to be cautious.

Like the six little mice.

MaryMartha

A related story: You Knew I Was a Snake [here]

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture marked MSG is taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Glomming Onto the Promises

Throughout my Christian life, I have been "standing on the promises." Perhaps you remember the song:

Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
Through eternal ages let His praises ring.
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing,
Standing on the promises of God.
-- And here is how we sang the refrain after each verse:
Standing (on the promises),
Standing (on the promises),
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing (on the promises)
Standing (on the promis—es) [a huge ritard here]
I’m standing on the promises of God.
-- Russell K. Carter, 1886

Standing on the promises means to rely on them, to consider them dependable and certain of fulfillment. Unfortunately, though, some people "glom onto" the promises they find in the Word of God. (According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, glom is a word for grabbing hold of to appropriate for oneself. That, I think, is a fair description of the misuse of Scripture to claim something we want and to try holding God accountable for giving it to us!)

For example, God told Abram (Abraham), "Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants forever." Who could mistake that to mean that for a promise they could stand upon? Likewise, not every fisherperson is going to be successful by snatching Jesus' words spoken to His disciples: “Throw your net out on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get a catch.” The prophet Isaiah was instructed by God to go to King Hezekiah and tell him, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you and add fifteen years to your life." That is hardly a promise that every deathly ill person can seize and claim for himself/herself, yet I have heard of some who have tried to make that work.

A few questions can help us discern whether the statements we read are promises for us today:

-- Have we looked first to the promises that are clearly intended for all who believe them? A case in point, "Come to me," Jesus said to a multitude, "all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest."

-- Was this "promise" given specifically to a person(s) rather than to all God's people? This must be considered with care. Even so, God may wish at times to give us the grace He has extended to others. Was this "promise" given in circumstances similar to my own?

-- Is the "promise" consistent with others also found in the Scriptures? This is especially important.

-- Does the promise have a condition attached? An "if" is implied in "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." An unconditional promise: "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

-- The ultimate test: Do time and actual events prove the validity of our claim to a "promise"? Remember of course, that we have to wait for the fulfillment of some promises until we get to heaven!

To be honest, sometimes we want to control God! And we suppose that the way to do this is to glom onto a promise and remind Him that He is obligated to comply! There are thousands of promises; some estimates are between seven and eight thousand! There are so many that are clearly meant for us to believe, that it seems we hardly need to glom onto those that may not be in God's plan for us personally.

MaryMartha

Conversation

I have a great idea!

What if we made laws for public discourse similar to our traffic laws? I stopped at several stop signs today, and did not proceed until no one else was on the road right at that corner. I also obeyed the red and green traffic lights that informed me when to stop and go. The other day at a four-way stop, each of the drivers waited with evident courtesy and caution until it was his/her turn. Now wouldn't it be unique among talkers if we were so observant of the conventions of polite conversation?

I am frustrated with people who are determined to out-talk others by their volume, their scary attitude, or their sheer wordiness. I would rather not be there at all than try to listen to them, even if they are not talking directly to me. (I have my personal list of grievous offenders, both individuals and groups, and you probably do as well.) They are not so much interested in conversation, an interchange of ideas and words, as they are in making their opinion absolute.

"There's nothing better than being wise, knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes, and gives gentleness to words and manners." (Ecclesiastes 8:1)

"Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out." (Colossians 4:6)

"The words of a wise person are gracious. The talk of a fool self-destructs—he starts out talking nonsense and ends up spouting insanity and evil." (Ecclesiastes 10:12)

Oh, about my great idea—I guess there already are some rules.

MaryMartha

Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

"You Knew I Was a Snake"

A fable that is told with many variations:

The Farmer and the Snake

One winter day, a farmer found a snake by the roadside, stiff and motionless with cold.

"If you put me inside your shirt," the snake said, "your body will make me warm and I won't freeze to death."

"Oh, I know your kind," replied the farmer. "If I pick you up, you will bite me."

"Oh no," the snake objected. "Why would I do such a thing, if you are good enough to help me?"

So the farmer had compassion on the snake, and taking it up, he put it inside his shirt. The warmth quickly revived the snake, and resuming its natural instincts, it bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound. "Oh," cried the farmer with his last breath, "why did you bite me? You promised you wouldn't."

"Ah," said the snake. "So I did. But you knew I was a snake when you picked me up."

I have been thinking about this tale and the lessons it may teach (several of them). What do you get from it?

MaryMartha

Things Mama Taught Me: "Is It True . . . Kind . . . Necessary?"

There are many versions of these tests for words we speak, attributed to a variety of speakers: Ann Landers, for one, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Rotary Club, a guru named Sai Baba, and a very old poem before any of those other possible sources existed. But this is the one I heard my mother often repeat, and she probably heard it from her mother.

First of all, is what I am about to say true? Mama was super-conscientious about telling the truth. (Maybe that’s why she never said very much!) The rationale for that is very clear. Her Bible—the King James Version, of course. Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight.” In Ephesians 4:25, she read, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man [every person] truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” The ultimate rule was one of the Ten: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16) We could take this to mean only giving false testimony in court, but Bible scholars do not see it that way. One of them writes, “[This] commandment concerns our own and our neighbour's good name. This forbids speaking falsely on any matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising or designing to deceive our neighbour. Speaking unjustly against our neighbour, to hurt his reputation. Bearing false witness against him, or in common conversation slandering, backbiting, and tale-bearing; making what is done amiss worse than it is, and in any way endeavouring to raise our reputation upon the ruin of our neighbour's. (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary) The test can be interpreted then by asking, “Am I intending to deceive?

Next, is what I am about to say kind? There are many things one could say which would be absolutely true, but are best voiced with the greatest care or even left unsaid. “That dress makes you look really fat!” “You’re not studying hard enough. You can do better than a B!” “You’d better get out and wash the car; it looks dreadful!” Mama didn’t speak words like these. Again she had the Scripture as her guide. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) And she read in Colossians 4:6, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” A word of explanation about “salt” in that last verse: Grace is the “salt” which seasons our conversation, and keeps it from being corrupt. Though our speaking will not always be about grace, yet it must always be with grace. Even the ordinary should be spoken of in a Christian manner.

Last, is what I am about to say necessary? I would qualify the word necessary a bit to say “helpful,” “beneficial,” or the Scriptural term, “edifying.” Mama knew the world could do with less banal chatter, and so she didn’t add much of it. It isn’t wise to say meaningless things just so there’s no dead air (a radio term meaning unexpected silence, sometimes caused because the broadcaster has run out of intelligent things to say). Now here’s an interesting Scripture! “Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.” (Proverbs 17:28) That may be where Mark Twain got this piece of advice, "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." Another verse in Proverbs says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.” (25:11) The Apostle Paul wrote, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” (Ephesians 4:29) If it serves no good purpose, it’s best to leave it unsaid.

These are very stringent tests, aren’t they? Maybe our speaking is not going to meet them all the time, but certainly, these little “guards” at the gate of our lips can help us be more aware of the words we let pass through. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” (From Mama’s Bible, Psalm 19:14)

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

You Are Right

Lord, You are right!
Slowly I am learning to question less:
“Surely this can’t be the way.”
And “There’ll never be a change.”

But You are right!
Never would I doubt that You are faithful to Your Word,
That Your promises are sure and what You’ve said is true.
But the stuff of every day?
The tiny secret hope that would not go away?
I marvel: “This was You!”

And now I see You’re right!
I do not want to make You small by using human terms,
But Lord, You are so smart!
You figured out the whole
While I stumbled through the clues.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

What Wisdom Looks Like

Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Whatever else you get, get understanding. (Proverbs 4:7 margin NIV) The writers of the “Wisdom Books” in the Scripture describe some of the ways wisdom is seen in daily life:

Serving God first and foremost. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”(1) “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”(2)

Watching what God does. “Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”(3)

Recognizing the brevity of life. “So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”(4)

Working! “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”(5) “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”(6)

Choosing your companions with care. “He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."(7)

Realizing that not even you are immune to moral failure. ”A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident.”(8)

Avoiding addictions of every kind, practicing temperance in everything. “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”(9)

Refraining from speaking everything you think or feel. ”Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.”(10) “In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.”(11)

Considering advice, and accepting correction. “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.”(12) “A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel.”(13)

Refusing to be quarrelsome. “He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his peace.”(14)

I, for one, am all in favor of having wisdom. I just wish getting it didn’t hurt so much!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotation marked NIV is from the New Internation Bible, used by permission.
Scripture quotation marked NLT is taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved
Scripture quotation marked NASB is from the New American Standard Bible, used by permission.

1 Proverbs 9:10 2 Proverbs 19:7 3Psalm 107:43 4Psalm 90:12
5 Proverbs 6:6-8 NLT 6 Ecclesiastes 9:10 7Proverbs 13:20
8 Proverbs 14:16 9 Proverbs 20:1 10Proverbs 17:28, 29:11
11Proverbs 10:19 12 Proverbs 19:20 NASB 13 Proverbs 1:5
14Proverbs 11:12