Daily Challenges Archive

In this chapter, Solomon talks about why he wrote the book of Proverbs. It was intended specifically for his son, as well as other young men his son’s age. As we’ve learned over the centuries and millennia, it is valuable for all of us as follower...

There are many examples, both of individuals like Henry David Thoreau, and movements throughout the centuries, that have sought to achieve what Solomon talks about in this verse—having neither too much nor too little, a concept often referred to a...

The 1952 movie High Noon is an example of a good sheriff who is completely left on his own to take on all the bad guys. He finds himself on his own against a gang of killers. It made for a good movie over seventy years ago. We don’t often see that...

I had a friend the other day who asked me if I wanted a boat or a new truck. I said neither; I was doing just fine. I asked him what prompted his question, and he began to explain to me how he thinks he’s going to come into some money through one ...

At its simplest, Solomon warns us in this verse that the future is both unpredictable and not guaranteed. Humility dictates that we leave much of our outcomes in God’s hands. I was part of a group that made a documentary. We had an amazing and hig...

Obviously, cutting off your feet or drinking poison sounds like a really, really bad idea. Nobody would willingly do that. I read the first part of Solomon’s message here and realize how vital this was in his day, when there were no cell phones, f...

I just spent a day with a friend who believes all of us have addiction issues. Maybe not with drugs, alcohol, pornography, or many of the other common addictions we regularly hear about, but addictions nonetheless. Solomon reminds us that when we ...

In today’s world, perhaps because of movies and television, people with physical strength seem to have an edge in life. They are the superheroes, spies, and detectives who typically solve the crimes and save the day. When Solomon talks about the w...

Earlier today, I was reading an article about famous and powerful people and the impact their mothers had on their lives. Some of them were well known, like Abraham Lincoln and Coco Chanel; others were less well known but equally influential. We a...

When I worked with teenagers, it was not unusual to be in a conversation where a young person expressed frustration over why God was against them having fun. I admit that religion has often labeled things as sin that God never did. However, many t...

Indifference is never specifically listed as a sin in the Bible. However, ignoring the needs of others and showing a lack of love for both God and our neighbor certainly fits that definition. In this verse, Solomon warns against the sin of indiffe...

If something appears in the Bible one time, is it important? Of course. In these devotions, I have occasionally mentioned that God wastes no words. Every word in Scripture comes from the eternal Creator of the universe. It should be all we need. I...