The APA (American Psycho-logical Association), reports that stress among Americans is on the rise (USA TODAY, Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007, 7D). The report tells us that women are more likely to experience higher stress levels than men, singles have more stress than those married, and that money, work and high housing costs are the biggest […]
A Profitable Relationship with Brethren (Proverbs 27:17) Proverbs 27:17 (ESV) 17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Our interaction with each other as brethren is crucial to our spiritual development in Christ. We need to sharpen each other from time to time. When men challenge each other, it can lead to growth. There […]
A Profitable Way to Live: Listen to Advice (Proverbs 19:20) Proverbs 19:20 (ESV) 20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. An admonition to listen to advice is always profitable. The problem is it is easier said than done. Personal pride, too often, gets in the way and […]
Being a Profitable Friend (Proverbs 17:17) Friends are precious. We are all blessed to have them. However, there are good friends and bad friends. There are those who are fair-weather friends; then, there are friends who are a constant part of our lives. Solomon helps us to put friendship into perspective. Proverbs 17:17 (ESV) 17 […]
The Profits of Godly Fear (Proverbs 8:13) Godly fear is an important characteristic to have. It does not mean that a person is terrified of God, it simply means to be filled with reverence for God. The person who fears God understands the greatest, power, and strength of God. Sadly, this world lacks godly fear. […]
A Profitable Use of Our Bodies (Proverbs 4:23-27) Paul said, “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.” The wise man in Proverbs helps us with this by […]
“I Will Fear No Evil” I wish we had a couple of more nights this week so that I could consider each portion of this Psalm. Since we do not, I will conclude the week by looking at David’s statement, “I will fear no evil.” That is the benefit of having a good shepherd. While […]
“He Restores My Soul” Seeing that we are prone to go astray, these are words are very comforting. Have you ever wandered away from the safe presence of God and found yourself in the wilderness of sin? Have you ever strayed, even if it was just for a short period of time, and found yourself […]
“He makes me lie down in green pastures” As is typical with this Psalm, there seems to be both a physical and a spiritual application to be made of the statement before us. From a physical standpoint, sheep lying down in green pastures continues to emphasize the providential care of the Shepherd. The picture here […]
Because David knew that the Lord was his Shepherd, he could say, “I shall not want.” But what did David mean by that? I will first emphasize the obvious meaning of his words, and then briefly consider a secondary meaning. The obvious meaning is that David was confident that the Lord would provide for him. […]