Proverbs 22 prompts me in three ways--trust God, be diligent, and remove debt. Verses 17-22 is the first of thirty sayings which covers chapters 22-24. You can read the first one to direct you to trust in the Lord. To put your trust in the Lord is the first and wisest thing to do.
Second, diligence in daily tasks. As you read and re-read the book of Proverbs contrasts abound. One is the sluggard and the diligent. I often learn from mistakes and correct them. Here in verse 13 the wise one challenges the sluggard, "The sluggard says, 'There's a lion outside! I'll be killed in the public square!'" What he means is I will do nothing because I fear what is outside. You can be lazy by doing nothing at all worrying or fretting about what is out there to slay you. Or you can be diligent and courageous and do something no matter what is outside. Fear can paralyze or catalyze action. I want to catalyze action on daily tasks and not merely fear that something might go wrong or that I may fail. I take to heart what President Teddy Roosevelt once said (regarded as the man in the arena anecdote),
Second, diligence in daily tasks. As you read and re-read the book of Proverbs contrasts abound. One is the sluggard and the diligent. I often learn from mistakes and correct them. Here in verse 13 the wise one challenges the sluggard, "The sluggard says, 'There's a lion outside! I'll be killed in the public square!'" What he means is I will do nothing because I fear what is outside. You can be lazy by doing nothing at all worrying or fretting about what is out there to slay you. Or you can be diligent and courageous and do something no matter what is outside. Fear can paralyze or catalyze action. I want to catalyze action on daily tasks and not merely fear that something might go wrong or that I may fail. I take to heart what President Teddy Roosevelt once said (regarded as the man in the arena anecdote),
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or here the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in he arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."("Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910)President Roosevelt's words catalyze me to action rather than the sluggards cries to be paralyzed about what may happen. I want to act courageously--to fail while daring greatly. This is the approach of my daily tasks today. I will strive valiantly in the arena of life, serving God the best that I can.
Third, God's truth guides me to remove debt. I owe some money. I will make plans to pay it back . It may take me awhile. But with God's help and wisdom, I will repay the debt and "owe no man anything but to love one another (Romans 13:8)." Verses 26-27 challenged me to remove debt, "Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts; if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you." So you need to be mindful of accumulating debt. Put this in your mind now, and be free from threat.
May God use His word to challenge your life and catalyze faith in action everyday in your life.
Pastor d
