If these proverbs seem somewhat repetitious, don't worry! I guess the Lord knew we would need lots of reminders.
Today I will choose a few that perhaps we haven't seen too often.
- "The godly care for their animals, but the wicked are always cruel." It's a good thing to be kind to animals AND people. v. 10
- It's better to work hard than to follow get-rich-quick schemes. v. 11
- We are foolish if we think we are always right. It's hard to say "I was wrong," but it's wise to listen to others. v. 15
- Keep your cool when someone insults you; to be short tempered is to be foolish. v. 16
- Words are powerful tools. They can hurt and they can heal. The wise person uses healing words. v. 18
- No one likes a braggart, one who always has to show how much he knows. In fact, the longer he talks he reveals his own foolishness. v. 23
- "Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up." v. 25 Worry does indeed feel like a heavy weight. It's always good to offer an encouraging word.
The "we" of v. 1 refers to Paul, Aristarchus, and Luke who is the author of Acts. Luke was a medical doctor, and this profession may explain his attention to the details we see in this and other accounts. Paul and the others are on their way to Rome where Paul would appear before Caesar. The trip was slow, and as the year wore on, Paul warned the ship's officers that the weather would likely present danger for them. However, they continued. v. 10-12
Paul was right, and v. 13-26 record the events of a storm at sea. After several harrowing days, the sailors had lost all hope. However, God sent an angel to reassure Paul, and He shared this message. Though the ship would be lost, Paul would appear before Caesar, and no lives would be lost! They would be shipwrecked on an island.
No comments:
Post a Comment