Kirsty

Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:30Jeremiah 19–20Luke 24Psalms 95 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:30) A heart at peace gives life to the body,     but envy rots the bones. Meditation Happy Easter Monday (again, for those of us reading in 2021)! 🙂 Proverbs 14:30 gets translated into English a number of different ways. The NIV is straightforward enough, saying, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” The NRSV differs slightly, saying, “A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh, but passion makes the bones rot.” So we have heart versus mind, and envy versus passion. Other translations use…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:29Jeremiah 17–18Luke 23Psalms 94 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:29) Whoever is patient has great understanding,     but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. Meditation Happy Easter (to those of us reading this in 2021)! 🙂 Today’s proverb teaches the importance of self-control, particularly in terms of keeping your temper. As Proverbs 14:29 says in the NIV, “Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.” The NRSV is similar, saying, “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” In fact, the NRSV is fairly close to the…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:26Jeremiah 15–16Luke 22Psalms 93 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:26) Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress,     and for their children it will be a refuge. Meditation Proverbs 14:26 tells us, “Whoever fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for their children it will be a refuge.” This is such a comforting verse! Not only do we have strength and protection for ourselves, but we are promised the next generation will also have that refuge. This is how most modern translations interpret this verse. However, when I dig a bit deeper, I realize that the Hebrew is a…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:25Jeremiah 13–14Luke 21Psalms 92 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:25) A truthful witness saves lives,     but a false witness is deceitful. Meditation Proverbs 14:25 says, in the NIV, “A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.” I like how the NRSV translates the second half of this proverb: “but one who utters lies is a betrayer.” I find it interesting that the halves of the proverb are not exactly parallel. The truthful witness saves lives, but the false witness does not destroy lives or kill people. Rather, the false witness is deceitful and a betrayer. The proverb…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:23Jeremiah 11–12Luke 20Psalms 91 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:23) All hard work brings a profit,     but mere talk leads only to poverty. Meditation Ha! It just so happens that for April Fools’ Day (for those of you who started reading on January 1st), we will not be talking about fools. 🙂 Proverbs 14:23 has long been a favorite proverb of mine. “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” As a procrastinator, and as someone who can be more talk than action, this proverb reminds me that I need to buckle down and simply…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:21Jeremiah 9–10Luke 19Psalms 90 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:21) It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor,     but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy. Meditation Day 90! One quarter of a year. Hard to believe, huh? Congratulations to all of us! And praise God for His faithfulness in bringing us through thus far!! 🙂 Today’s proverb, Proverbs 14:21, says, “It is a sin to despise one’s neighbor, but blessed is the one who is kind to the needy.” This is not a proverb that I’ve given a lot of thought to recently. Perhaps because I…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:16Jeremiah 7–8Luke 18Psalms 89 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:16) The wise fear the LORD and shun evil,     but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. Meditation Proverbs 14:16 says, in the NIV, “The wise fear the LORD and shun evil, but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure.” When I read it earlier today in the NRSV, however, the verse said, “The wise are cautious and turn away from evil, but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.” The first thought that popped into my head on reading this proverb had to do with wearing face…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:15Jeremiah 5–6Luke 17Psalms 88 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:15) The simple believe anything,      but the prudent give thought to their steps. Meditation Today’s verse focus looks at one type of fool — those that are labeled “the simple.” Proverbs 14:15 says, in the NIV, “The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps.” As the NRSV puts it, “The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.” Two days ago we talked about how the prudent give thought to their ways, whereas fools are deceived by their own folly. Here, the prudent give thought…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:9Jeremiah 3–4Luke 16Psalms 87 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:9) Fools mock at making amends for sin,     but goodwill is found among the upright. Meditation As Proverbs 14:9 is translated into English, it appears in a number of different permutations. The NIV says, “Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.” The NRSV says, “Fools mock at the guilt offering, but the upright enjoy God’s favor.” The NLT says, “Fools make fun of guilt, but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation.” The NIRV says, “Foolish people laugh at making things right when they…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:8Jeremiah 1–2Luke 15Psalms 86 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:8) The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways,     but the folly of fools is deception. Meditation Our verse focus today contrasts fools against the wise. This is one of the most common comparisons we will see in the book of Proverbs; however, each instance will reveal a slightly different aspect of the difference between folly and wisdom. Proverbs 14:8 says, in the NIV, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” The NRSV says, “It…

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