Daily Challenges Archive
“From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things, but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.”
I hesitate to share another passage about the power of words, especially right after doing so yesterday. However, whether it’s the news or just the world around me, I can’t seem to get my mind off this truth: our words have consequences. I used to...
“The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.”
We have discovered over and over in Proverbs that words are powerful. They are either powerfully good or powerfully bad—but either way, they are powerful. Too many countries will put a person in prison if they don’t like their words. In the U.S., ...
“The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.”
As a parent, it never felt right to allow my children to declare that they detested anything. In fairness, it was usually broccoli or something similar. Occasionally, it can be good as a follower of Christ to ponder what we detest. The question be...
“Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
The word hand in this verse represents two different words in the original language. The first hand—the negligent one—is open, palm revealed, and basically at rest. The second hand is closed, almost a fist, tightly held and ready for work and acti...
“Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars.”
This reminds me of a popular movie line. In City Slickers, Jack Palance’s character, Curly, shares his secret of life: “One thing, just one thing. You stick to that…” Here Solomon mentions “seven pillars.” In the same way that Curly didn’t have a ...
“All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.”
Most days I wear a rubber bracelet that says 429. It stands for Ephesians 4:29. My good friend Coach Mark Jackson had them made and gives them out by the thousands to remind the wearer of a message he shares about that particular verse. It is perh...
“Today I fulfilled my vows, and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.”
Sin is not necessarily ugly to look at. It often looks like us. Satan used—or rather, misused—scripture to try and tempt Jesus in the desert. One source talks about the temptress in this passage: “This is a tactic of hypocritical deception, where ...
“Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids.”
There’s an old saying that goes, “Don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow.” If you read that quickly, you might misunderstand, but it’s actually a spoof on the real saying: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” That’s go...
“For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.”
Overweight people die 5 to 15 years earlier than those who are not overweight—a similar range to the reduced lifespan of smokers. The list of bad habits and their connection to early death is long. This is a visible and undeniable picture of death...
“I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.”
There is a distinction between the different types of learning. Here Solomon specifically refers to sound learning. There is not a word in Scripture that is extra or without important meaning. If all Scripture is inspired, as Paul tells us in Timo...
“My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart.”
I have always used this and similar passages to encourage Bible memorization. I must confess I’m awful at it myself. Over the years, I’ve found that scripture I have “kept in my heart” has come to mind at very strategic and powerful times. Back in...
“Thus you will walk in the ways of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous.”
In my heart, this always sounded like a good idea. Maybe it was how I was raised. I’d call it kingdom-adjacent—not Christian at the time, but definitely with a Judeo-Christian awareness. That was actually a very dangerous place to be. Until I hear...
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