wisdom

Five Wise Sayings for Life

[381 words] I love sitting and listening to older, wiser folks than myself. I love history and learning it from people who loved it. There is something about sitting on a porch swing with someone old in days who has seen so much change and endured so much through their walk in life. The proverbial…

What You Can’t See

[345 words] Sometimes I know when I’m in error. I’ve been around enough to know the sins that I am most tempted by. When my willpower fails and I commit one of these sins I know immediately afterward that I did wrong. God, forgive me for “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak”…

Dad’s Wisdom

[199 words] How many of us heard our fathers make the statement: “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” Of course, we were being scolded for doing something dangerous or hurtful. That’s when we offered our excuse: “but everyone was doing it.” As soon as those words hit my father’s ears, he…

The Intelligence of the Intelligent

[194 words] There is an urban legend about a group of famous scientists who stopped for lunch at a small-town diner. Seated at the table were six of the greatest thinkers of our day. Their average IQ was in the 160s. They noticed that their salt and pepper shakers had been reversed. One with the…

Safer Than Houses

[186 words] Investment can be tricky things. Do you put your money in stocks or bonds, real estate, or hide it under your mattress? Even the most seemingly stable places to put your money can turn south in a heartbeat. Lots of people have experienced the phenomena of thinking they invested well only to learn…

The Proverbs of Solomon

[222 words] “The wise in heart will receive commandments; But a prating fool shall fall” (Proverbs 10:8, ASV). Wisdom, by most, is measured by what a person accumulates in experiences. If you live to be 75 then, presumably, you will be wiser than a 55 years old person because you have experienced much more. This…

An Old Farmer’s Advice

[243 words] • Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. • Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled. • Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight. • Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads. • It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge. • You cannot unsay a…

Then

[228 words] Reading God ‘s word is exciting. It seems that every time I read it I notice something I had missed in earlier readings. In the past I had noticed the oft repeated phrase (about 56 times), “Then they shall know that I am the Lord (Jehovah) God.” This time I noticed the tragedy…

‘I Counsel Thee’

[275 words] When a marriage is “on the rocks” and about to be broken, we urge that couple to get marriage counseling. Those with money problems can go to a financial adviser/planner for counseling. In fact, there are people and institutions that do nothing all day but debt-relief counseling. (Talk about specialization!) To Christians who…

People Identified With Him

  [437 words] September 22, 2015 will be remembered as “the day Yogi died.” Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was loved by millions of people even though he played for a baseball team that many did not like. His outstanding ability and endurance on the field made him a star, but his humble personality and wise…

Stay Away From These People

  [537 words] The wise man himself, Solomon, tells us not to get close to: People who are always changing their mind. “Meddle not with them that are given to change” (Prov. 24:21). You can’t depend on these people. You can’t trust them. They have no convictions or principles. They change with the situation. They…

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

[107 words] Proverbs 9:1 states, “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars.” What are these “seven pillars” of wisdom? Likely the reference is symbolical representing the fact that if we use godly wisdom properly, our lives will be complete. But it is interesting to note that James, in his epistle,…

My Need, His Supply

[424 words] “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of…

The Role of Knowledge

The Christian religion is a religion of learning. One’s participation in the blessings of God as manifested and made available through Christ and his gospel is proportionate to his knowledge of the things that God wants him to know. When the law of Moses was in effect, God’s people were often in distress because of…

How to Learn

[90 words] Some never listen to any speaker or read any book not already known to agree with most of his or her preferences and prejudices. Minds already made up seek no new or differing facts. However, we grow and learn by being exposed to new thoughts and different thinkers. Truth adequately understood has nothing…

Could This Be Us?

My idea of visitation: Everyone coming to see me. My idea of sympathy: Everybody suffers with me. My idea of meekness: Everybody yielding to me. My idea of unity: Everybody agreeing with my opinion. My idea of cooperation: Everybody working in my place. My idea of a good sermon: One that applies to everybody but…

Words of Wisdom

A man is only as good as what he loves. All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action. One of the nice things about problems is that a good many of them do not exist except in our imaginations. To err is human; to blame it on someone else…

Daddy, Can I Come Home?

[201 words] Several years ago, I met a life-long friend walking down the road. We stopped for a couple moments and exchanged greetings. I asked her how she and her husband were doing (they had married three months earlier). Her response startled me. She said, “Steve, we’re not together any more. I wasn’t happy, so…

Somewhere…

[163 words] …A mother is trying to make up her mind whether to let a surgeon do an operation on her only child that may take her life. …A man whose son didn’t come home last night is walking through a door marked “City Morgue.” …A man is sitting on his bed toying with a…

Everything I Needed to Know About Life I Learned from a Jigsaw Puzzle

[207 words] 1. When things aren’t going so well, take a break. Everything will look different when you return (compare Mark 6:31). 2. Be sure to look at the big picture (John 4:35). Getting hung up on the little pieces only leads to frustration. 3. Don’t force a fit (Philippians 2:4). 4. Perseverance pays off.…

Wise Thoughts

[67 words] 1. When we talk we repeat what we already know; when we listen we learn and grow wiser. 2. The brighter you are, the more you know what you don’t know! 3. You alone can use your time and abilities, choose wisely. 4. Learning is the best wealth — no one can ever…

A New Perspective for an Old Problem

One morning this summer, I arose early to go to the farm and spray weeds. It was about an hour and a half before sunrise. After putting on my work clothes and shoes, I grabbed my glasses and headed out the door. I took off driving and immediately I was confronted by near blindness. I…

Words of Wisdom

A man is only as good as what he loves.All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action.One of the nice things about problems is that a good many of them do not exist except in our imaginations.To err is human; to blame it on someone else is really human.Too…

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Was 21

1. That being a Christian is really, really important. 2. That my life’s career would be what it is now. 3. That my health in my later years will depend to a great degree on what I ate before I was 21. 4. That I am really a manager of my money and my possessions.…