The wages of the righteous is life.

We get “pay” not “payback” by following the Lord.  

I’ve seen some interesting things in life – we all have – I certainly had to pick my battles – walking away is not defeat but putting off exacting human revenge to let things fade behind God’s Glory. How important to hand these struggles to the Lord, roll things off our backs. We may sometimes be seen as foolish but that is often being prudent. God has bigger fish for us to fry. Keep going to fight not another day but another Way. Let the Lord fight and win, for Eternity is better than band-aids on today’s world no matter how painful. That’s not payback, it’s forward fighting. We will get paid – wages from not even working – because we get LIFE. The righteous stand firm forever.

Yes, we do and will see fools in folly begin to fail. We will see punishment, like in Proverbs 10, go into motion – and we ALL will see this clearly at Judgment Day, God wiping away the wicked and righteousness standing firm… and yet let us not “gloat in the boat” of righteousness. God has no pleasure in losing souls, no pleasure in punishment. God’s loss is at greatest cost. We must have mercy as God has mercy. Let’s pray for those who miss the boat.

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

Proverbs 10 is real stuff, not just cup of coffee mug stickers, not bumper stickers, not t-shirt sayings. But these proverbs are about fools and should become our prayers against becoming one ourselves (us and others). And the praises of the righteous should be acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty and MAJESTY. From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom.

Proverbs 10 is lots of sayings about people – TO PRAY ON, TO LIVE IN, TO LOVE FROM. The Word is Wisdom for Life.

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

We don’t get to pick some things in life. WE DON’T. Let’s make the best of it. Work around it. Work for the betterment of all. DON’T HARDEN YOUR HEARTS in crushing circumstances BUT GUARD THEM. The Armor of God is strong and we must be strong to don it. The Word of God is powerful and we must be strong to speak it. The Fear of God is worth it and we must be strong to accept it. Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

We need correction at times because we don’t have the whole story. We need quieting at times to watch the Lord work things out. Sometimes we take correction not just because we are wrong (yet sometimes we really ARE), but we take correction because others are watching to see what we do. Perhaps living the best in the moment means forgiveness, rolling it off your back.  Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.  If we live another day in a prudent Way, then we will see a new perspective when earthly life gets best-ed by Forever Life. 

It IS a blessing to be “saints becoming, one and all” as a dear pastor friend says. It is a blessing to be counted and covered and constructed in Jesus’s Righteousness. Let us be thankful if/when we have SEEN THE LIGHT and gotten the LIFT, because not all will. Jesus is our sin Savior, and our Righteousness Giver, we can turn the other cheek and keep praying for all. 

Pearls of wisdom are a blessing.  

Amen

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PROVERBS 10 – The proverbs of Solomon:

A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.

The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.

The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot.

The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

Whoever winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

The wages of the righteous is life, but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.

Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues. 

The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, without painful toil for it.

A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes, but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.

What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them.

The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short.

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be silenced.

The lips of the righteous know what finds favor, but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.