Rise, Proverbs 11

"When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; . . ."

Proverbs 11:10

Reading Proverbs 11 makes one want to be counted as the righteous (a gut check to see if we are indeed righteous). However, many times we find that we stumble through setbacks in our lives, impeded, slowed down, and sidelined. We get frustrated (or at least I do). My heart's desire is to be a blessing to God; however, my zeal and fervor may be focused on the wrong things. I may be in a hurry to get something done only to find that is isn't the right time or the right project. Wasted time and energy all together.

Are we among the wicked at times, against God's plans? We may mean well; however, in the grand scheme of things our plans may actually be against what God has planned. Fortunately, he is patient to allow us to discover our error in judgment. The wicked in Proverbs never discover their error. They cling to their way to the bitter end. The righteous are always working on their "tuner", working to get it right, to be in God's favor and to lead from one blessing to the next. When we fail, our father is there to encourage us when we seek him.


"A New Hallelujah" by Michael W. Smith

Proverbs 11:2 - "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Michael Angelo was celebrated for sculpting "David". He was lauded and yet, he took no credit. He maintained that the beauty of the work was already within the marble throughout the ages. He merely chipped away the stone to reveal what lay beneath. He realized that God gave him a gift. It is easy to allow pride to sneak in and claim more power, intellect, and vision than we really have. It is better to be humble in all things. Amazing is how tightly he communicated with God as he chiseled out a great work. Can we achieve that type of dialogue?

On Mission, On Assignment, and in the ZONE!

Andy Valadez
e-mail: andy@marketingdynamics.org