Today is March 21. I read Proverbs 21 this morning before work and several verses stood out to me. I will list them below and then maybe expound on a couple of them, but at the very least, here is a sampling of what you will find in this book. These quotations are taken from the New International Version (a particular English translation of the Bible).
21:5 - "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
This one stood out to me because lately I have been on a quest to free myself from the bonds of idleness. There are a lot of things I want to do with my time but I never do them. Writing this blog is one of those things. Also, I am going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now. It's all about hard work to get to where you want to be. I'm starting to get the point. While my family is not poverty stricken at the moment, a few diligent plans here and there would definitely be a huge pick me up for us.
21:8 - "The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright."
This one you could easily pass over because of the archaic wording, but it is communicating some very important truths. This verse tells you straight up how to tell if you are being conned. It says that there is a connection between a person's behavior ("way") and their intentions. Intentions we cannot see, but behaviors we can. This is common sense in a way. You don't hire someone who will not look you in the eyes, or who has a shifty or devious look about them. They are connected to guilt in some way by this verse. Guilt for possibly ripping off previous employers or (in my neck of the woods) not being legal to work in the United States. When people become defensive of various things, there is generally guilt involved. However, good standing in the community, a kind of objective "uprightness" is what screams of an innocent and worthy character. An upright business man would not hire a shifty worker, much like a crook would not solicit an upright neighbor to join him on a bank heist, for fear of being turned in. Upright and innocent are irrevocably connected, as are deviousness and guilt.
21:5 - "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
This one stood out to me because lately I have been on a quest to free myself from the bonds of idleness. There are a lot of things I want to do with my time but I never do them. Writing this blog is one of those things. Also, I am going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now. It's all about hard work to get to where you want to be. I'm starting to get the point. While my family is not poverty stricken at the moment, a few diligent plans here and there would definitely be a huge pick me up for us.
21:8 - "The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright."
This one you could easily pass over because of the archaic wording, but it is communicating some very important truths. This verse tells you straight up how to tell if you are being conned. It says that there is a connection between a person's behavior ("way") and their intentions. Intentions we cannot see, but behaviors we can. This is common sense in a way. You don't hire someone who will not look you in the eyes, or who has a shifty or devious look about them. They are connected to guilt in some way by this verse. Guilt for possibly ripping off previous employers or (in my neck of the woods) not being legal to work in the United States. When people become defensive of various things, there is generally guilt involved. However, good standing in the community, a kind of objective "uprightness" is what screams of an innocent and worthy character. An upright business man would not hire a shifty worker, much like a crook would not solicit an upright neighbor to join him on a bank heist, for fear of being turned in. Upright and innocent are irrevocably connected, as are deviousness and guilt.
