Proverbs 3 (ESV)
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
3 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for length of days and years of life
and peace they will add to you.
3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good success[a]
in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh[b]
and refreshment[c] to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 My son, do not despise the Lord‘s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.
15 She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23 Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of the ruin[d] of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[e]
when it is in your power to do it.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.
30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
33 The Lord‘s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he gives favor.[f]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get[g] disgrace.
A few months ago, I tried to start a movement called Use Your Words Wednesday. Each Wednesday, I would take a few minutes to send a note or a text to use my words wisely and intentionally to encourage someone. I thought it was a great idea.
I posted pictures of my effort on Instagram using the hashtag #UYWW and everything.
And my friends that were the recipients of my words were appreciative.
And then I fell down a flight of stairs in New York City and so much of my world stopped.
As I recovered (and 3 months later am still recovering) and counted my blessings of how much worse the fall could’ve been, how much more my life could’ve changed because of the accident, so many of the good things that I had done before fell by the wayside.
Including Use Your Words Wednesday.
This verse hit me hard when I read it.
And yet again, God has used His Word to remind me of something I already knew….and forgot.
And I have a choice…I could beat myself up over all the Wednesdays (and Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for that matter.) that I’ve missed and feel guilty, or I can give myself grace, and move on.
And grace always is the best choice.
So who you can show good to today?
Maybe it’s telling a family member or friend how much you appreciated them.
Maybe it’s asking the cashier how she is…and really listening.
Maybe it’s smiling at the older person eating breakfast alone at the diner…and then starting a conversation with them.
Maybe it’s giving a word of encouragement to an overwhelmed mom at the grocery store and telling her she’s doing a great job.
Maybe it’s inviting a friend to go to church with you.
There’s a million little ways that you can show good today.
Let’s start together.
