In Proverbs 11, there is a repeated\u00a0theme of walking\u00a0righteously compared with living in wickedness. Repeatedly you find the joy, life, and protection that results from living righteously. In contrast, you also notice the destruction and death that wickedness produces. Sadly, because we don\u2019t\u00a0always experience\u00a0immediate consequences or physical\u00a0blessings, we can be led to\u00a0think that our choices don’t matter so much.<\/p>\n
Serving\u00a0at VOH has reminded\u00a0me of the destruction of living foolishly. One morning I was\u00a0reading in Proverbs 11 and comparing the righteous\u00a0with the wicked. Not only have I observed this while serving as an intern, but I see it in my own heart too. We all have choices each day to walk in obedience to the Father or to live for temporary pleasure. How important it is to walk blamelessly!<\/p>\n
Righteousness is described as delivering<\/em> multiple times in Proverbs 11. But wickedness is shown to ensnare<\/em> and bring death<\/em>. Those are powerful words. I want to walk righteously.<\/p>\n Another thing that you notice in Proverbs 11 is that the righteous knows when it is appropriate to speak, when to remain quiet, and their mouth overflows with\u00a0words of wisdom. This is definitely a challenge for each one of us, but especially women, as we tend to speak too much. It was thought-provoking to ask myself, “Do I know when it is appropriate to speak? Does wisdom come from my tongue, or just my own opinions?”<\/p>\n There is great\u00a0blessing for walking righteously. Proverbs 11 tells us that \u201cthose who sow righteousness get a sure reward (v. 18)\u201d<\/strong> and that \u201cwhoever is steadfast in righteousness will live (v. 19).\u201d<\/strong> He says \u201cthe desire of the righteous ends only in good (v. 23)\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cthe righteousness will flourish like a green leaf (v. 28)\u201d.<\/strong> This challenged me to not give up or grow weary in doing good. It may not seem like it\u2019s bearing fruit, but God promises blessing to those who walk uprightly. It\u2019s not often what we think of as \u201cblessing\u201d, that is wealth or an easy life.\u00a0But His ways are good and He never fails on His promises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"