Proverbs 10 – NIV -

¹⁷ He who heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

MSG: ¹⁷The road to life is a disciplined life; ignore correction and you're lost for good.

q Your choices influence others, whether you intend for them to or not.

q What is a Role Model

o R –

o O –

o L –

o E

o M –

o O –

o D –

o E –

o L -

¹⁸ He who conceals his hatred has lying lips,
and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

MSG: ¹⁸Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.

q Since you cannot hide hate, you must dispose of it some other way.

q Strategies for disposing of hate:

o Designate

o Insulate

o Speculate

o Obligate

o Stimulate

o Expectorate

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

²⁰ The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.

²¹ The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of judgment.

MSG: ¹⁹The more talk, the less truth; the wise measure their words. ²⁰The speech of a good person is worth waiting for; the blabber of the wicked is worthless. ²¹The talk of a good person is rich fare for many, but chatterboxes die of an empty heart.

q We are warned and encouraged about our words:

o Use them sparingly.

o Use them beautifully.

o Use them to nourish others.

o Exercise sound judgment and know that words reveal your heart.

²² The blessing of the LORD brings wealth,
and he adds no trouble to it.

MSG: ²²GOD's blessing makes life rich; nothing we do can improve on God.

q We need to view wealth differently.

q It is better to receive your blessings from the Lord because the kinds you manufacture always come with trouble.

²³ A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct,
but a man of understanding delights in wisdom.

MSG: ²³An empty-head thinks mischief is fun, but a mindful person relishes wisdom.

q From what do you derive your pleasure? It will tell on you.

q When is mischief clearly not fun?

o When it is rude.

o When it is used to exclude.

o When it is used to intrude.

o When it is used to allude.

o When it pervades our attitude.

²⁴ What the wicked dreads will overtake him;
what the righteous desire will be granted.

²⁵ When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.

MSG: ²⁴The nightmares of the wicked come true; what the good people desire, they get. ²⁵When the storm is over, there's nothing left of the wicked; good people, firm on their rock foundation, aren't even fazed.

q “Self-Fulfilled prophesies”

q Your worst fears can come true when you are out of synch with God. Storms are coming ... but ... don’t dread them for ...

q Storms come to all, but the righteous keep standing.

²⁶ As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is a sluggard to those who send him.

MSG: ²⁶A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble; it's vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

q Lazy people burden others.

²⁷ The fear of the LORD adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.

²⁸ The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.

MSG: ²⁷The Fear-of-GOD expands your life; a wicked life is a puny life. ²⁸The aspirations of good people end in celebration; the ambitions of bad people crash.

q Wisdom gives you cause for great optimism.

²⁹ The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.

³⁰ The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.

MSG: ²⁹GOD is solid backing to a well-lived life, but he calls into question a shabby performance. ³⁰Good people last--they can't be moved; the wicked are here today, gone tomorrow.

q Plan for future security: Choose righteousness.

³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

³² The lips of the righteous know what is fitting,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.

MSG: ³¹A good person's mouth is a clear fountain of wisdom; a foul mouth is a stagnant swamp. ³²The speech of a good person clears the air; the words of the wicked pollute it.

q What you talk is what you are.

q If you are right with God, you know what to say already.

q If you are not right with God, your speech is a habitual cesspool. Get right with God.

q Clearing the air is not the same as stinking it up.