Often when listening so someone else I sometimes find myself: distracted, impatient, frustrated, prone to interrupt. When listening to Christ, it pays to lend your full attention to his message.
Proverbs 181Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.2 A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.3 When the wicked cometh, then cometh also contempt, and with ignominy reproach.4 The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.6 A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.7 A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.11 The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.12 Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.14 The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.16 A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.17 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.18 The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.19 A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city: and their contentions are like the bars of a castle.20 A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.22 Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord.23 The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
5 comments:
www.howtobecomeachristian.org
That's a lot to absorb all at one time.
Instead of forcing us all to guess at the meaning of these sometimes obscure verses with all the "eth" suffixes, why don't you translate them for us and tell us what the message is?
The plainer the better, no?
One danger of these sacred texts, such as the Bible and the Koran, is that they seem to say different things to different people, who then go ahead and use them as justification for their own acts, which are sometimes manifestly evil and violent.
Well it did provoke me into looking up the Book of Proverbs and I recommend it to others but what I read is that Proverbs was authored by Solomon and in 350 BC... and of course in a very different language from today - translated and interpreted ...
I don't have a problem with people's beliefs - we do live in a country that guarantees each one of us to freely believe what we wish.
But true "students" of the Bible who truly understand it's heritage and authors KNOW that much of it is likely NOT the literal "word of God".
The world is full of conflict over - what people "believe" in terms of different religions and what those religions tell those folks what they should do - to others.
I call these man-created Religions because when you go back and look at the history - you find - as true with Proverbs - that the "word of God" is actually the word of someone who himself believes he knows what God would say.
What GOD ...DID give most of us was the ability to know right from wrong and to treat others like we'd like to be treated.
We all start out as innocent children - but life does change us - and "life" often is our interactions with other humans - AND animals as John demonstrates.
I always want John to live the life he wants and to seek his own path for happiness but I'd never presume to tell him what he should believe or not with respect to religion.
And I say this with the most sincere respect for others.
If anyone has any evidence to point to for a GOD, then please cite it.
People will always figure out what to believe on their own- to think that one can force another to believe in a certain way is a silly conceit.
My main preference is way more narrow: to keep people from being killed for no good reason.
Post a Comment