A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but if you walk with fools, you will become foolish. 1 Corinthians 15:33 has a similar teaching, which says, "Bad company ruins good morals." If you have never heard this principle before, hear it today: who you choose to work with, spe...

by David Chadwick "Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin." Proverbs 13:15 Common sense is severely lacking in our current culture. One of the most dangerous parts of our modern society is that everyone is a self-proclaimed expert, but many lack common sense. There are lots of opinions, little wisdom. Many voices, few sages. If you spend 5 minutes on social media of an...

by David Chadwick "Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears." Proverbs 26:17 Today's proverb gives some very wise advice: Don't meddle in other people's affairs. You'll often get caught in the middle, and your own life will be hurt or even ruined. One or both of the parties involved might even turn against you! A meddler puts their nose where it does...

by David Chadwick "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." Proverbs 13:12 Hope is a powerful weapon. It provides the motivation to keep persevering, keep moving forward, and keep believing. In fact, hope is so powerful that Proverbs says hope deferred makes the heart sick. Have you ever hoped for something and had to wait upon the Lord? Have you desired somet...

by David Chadwick "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." Proverbs 16:33 God is in control of everything. Absolutely everything. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is outside of his control. Every single part of creation bows to his authority. Proverbs says that even the drawing of straws is under the sovereign hand of God. Biblically, the number 12 holds tremendous sign...

by Marilynn Chadwick "A devious person spreads quarrels. A gossip separates the closest of friends." Proverbs 16:28 GW The Bible mentions the sin of gossip nearly a dozen times. Over half those instances occur in the book of Proverbs. Previously, I shared how one of my wise young friends is intentional to speak well of her husband when talking to others. "I try to compliment my husband in front of...

by Marilynn Chadwick "A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, but one who is slow to anger calms a quarrel." Proverbs 15:18 TLV Faith in Jesus is serious business. But God's Word also calls us to a type of "faith" in each other as members of the body of Christ. Scripture warns us that to "break faith" with one another can greatly impede our prayers. Ancient Israel had broken faith with each other a...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established." Proverbs 4:25-26 CSB The book of Proverbs is filled with tips on how to persevere as we pursue a dream or fight through a trial. James , sometimes called "The Proverbs of the New Testament," gives us similar encouragement: "Blessed is th...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV "The Sayings of King Lemuel" is how some Bible translations refer to the famed 31st chapter of Proverbs. Scripture calls the words an "oracle" taught to the king by his mother. She begins by refer...

by Marilynn Chadwick "A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25 NIV I love surprises. It's fun to stumble upon an unanticipated blessing. A sudden bend in the road, a departure from routine, or a change of pace. My kids were well aware of my love for surprises. They used to tease me about "Mom's adventures" and my fascination with back roads and by...

by David Chadwick "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14 God says there is wisdom in an abundance of counselors, but he also says there is safety. Without it, people are vulnerable to falling. We live in such an isolated, self-sustaining society. In many ways, I think we have lost the need for one another. We don't live inter...

by David Chadwick "Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth." Proverbs 5:18 "An excellent wife is the crown of her husband." Proverbs 12:4 Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." The word "rejoice" means "to feel or show great joy or delight." There is a biblical command to both FEEL and SHOW joy in the Lord. The Gospel of Jesus pro...

by David Chadwick "Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed." Proverbs 19:17 God loves the poor and needy. In fact, the majority of Jesus's life and ministry was spent with the least and the lost. He ran toward the sick, the hurting, the poor, and those in need. Those with no future nor hope. And encountered them with his love. There are many verses thr...

by David Chadwick "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Proverbs 9:10 As we have previously discussed during this devotional series, knowledge and wisdom are both very important themes in the book of Proverbs. Knowledge searches out the depth of information found through experiences, and wisdom is knowing how to, with sound judgment, apply...

by David Chadwick "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." Proverbs 3:9-10 Marilynn and I are continuing to go through some of our favorite biblical proverbs. The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom and insight for how to live a godly life. In a world where there are so many...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." Proverbs 20:1 A good friend once noticed I didn't order wine at a meal. She asked me whether I ever drank alcohol. Interesting question for a pastor's wife and one I've been asked before. Back in the seventies I attended a large Southern university. I was active in sorority and fraternity...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin." Proverbs 13:3 I have a friend who raised five amazing boys. All her sons were excellent football players, receiving scholarships to play in various colleges around the country. She also happened to be a real prayer warrior—probably a requirement for raising all those strong sons. She used...

by Marilynn Chadwick "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." Proverbs 31:25 One of the things I love most about my husband David is the way he would always encourage our three children to laugh at the very things they were afraid of. He referred to their fears as "fret flies." He used to say that fear and worry attract the devil, just like honey attracts flie...

by Marilynn Chadwick "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV When I became a follower of Jesus many years ago, I was intrigued to notice how the words in the Bible suddenly made sense to me. What I had dismissed as a "dead book" in my early twenties suddenly came t...

by Marilynn Chadwick "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down." Proverbs 14:1 NIV Did you know that women talk more than men? It's a proven fact. The average woman speaks about 20,000 words each day to the average man's 7,000, or nearly three times as many! So if women want to use our words to build our house, we certainly have no shortage of buildin...

by David Chadwick "Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed." Proverbs 15:22 My wife Marilynn and I are taking a look at some of our favorite verses from the book of Proverbs. In a world where everyone has an opinion, but few have wisdom, we find this book of the Bible to be of utmost importance. What do you do when you have to make a hard decision? When you are faced with a...

by David Chadwick "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1 Have you ever had someone speak an angry word toward you? Maybe a friend? Your spouse? A boss at work? We live in a broken world where self-control is lacking and anger is commonplace. Angry words can trigger shame, condemnation, and deep pain. It can be very hard to navigate angry words. So how shou...

by David Chadwick "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight." Proverbs 12:22 "There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood." Proverbs 6:16-17 Can a good and loving God hate anything? Yes! If you have ever spent any time reading the Bible, you know that...

by David Chadwick "An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:15 Knowledge is "the awareness gained by experience of a fact or situation." Wisdom is defined as "the quality of having knowledge and good judgment." Biblically, both wisdom and knowledge are frequently discussed. They are very important qualities to have in living life well. It is im...

by David Chadwick "The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him." Proverbs 18:17 Our world is full of so many perspectives, sides, and stories. And in this social media generation, opinions are running wild. Everyone is a self-acclaimed expert, and there are many different stances everywhere you turn. So, what do you do when you hear something about someone...