We all at certain times have a lot of trouble dealing with the deep, conflicting, confusing, powerful, sometimes warring dynamic impulses and feelings that just roll through our hearts. Sometimes we don’t feel we have any power over it. We don’t kno...
We’re looking at qualities you must have in order to live a wise life. Today, we come to self-control. A man or woman without self-control is not going to live a wise life, is not going to make wise choices. They’re going to mess up their lives, and...
Anybody who reads the book of Proverbs will see how often the book talks about the subject of work. It talks positively about work under the heading of “diligence.” It talks negatively about work under the heading of “sluggard” or “sluggardliness.” ...
Americans are how-to oriented. We want a technique. But Proverbs doesn’t give methods for wise decisions. Instead, it says, “Here’s the kind of person you have to become to make wise decisions.” And here is the one character quality that’s most cruc...
Very basic to the development of wisdom is the ability to understand and channel the deep currents of our hearts. The book of Proverbs looks at the subject of wisdom. And in these passages, we come to a theme the Bible says is very important to under...
You will have a mess of a life if you only follow the rules and don’t have actual wisdom in the area of money. Wisdom is not less than being moral and good; it’s much more. It’s knowing the right choice in the majority of life situations that moral r...
In order to be wise, we have to learn how to understand and manage the power of sexuality. Wisdom is not less than being moral and good, but it’s quite a bit more. It’s knowing the right decision to make in the vast majority of life situations that...
If you’re going to live a wise life and have a discerning heart, you need to understand anger. Wisdom is knowing the right decision in the vast majority of life situations that the moral rules don’t address. And in order to be wise, you need to be a...
One of the main themes of the Bible is that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. But what does that mean? There’s a place in Job where God shows how important this term is when he says, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is none...
The appeal of legalism—of multiplying more and more rules—is so we don’t have to think. We want a rule to cover every situation. We don’t want to have to actually think out the implications. But you know what? No matter how much you multiply rules,...
Most of the situations you face in life aren’t covered by moral rules: “Do I say something, or do I wait? Do I act, or should I be more passive?” The rules don’t cover those things. And yet, you will sink, and the people around you will sink, unless...
It’s not good enough to be a person of vision, a person of high principle, a person of high moral values. Not if you’re not a person of wisdom. Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do in the 80 percent of life situations to which the moral rules don...
Ancient societies usually had more consensus about morality. Partly because of that, I think they saw something we have a harder time seeing: that moral standards, as important as they are, don’t actually address most of the situations we face. If y...
Jesus addresses our worry about money. We are in the grips of anxiety about money, about what we will eat, about what we will drink, where we will live, whether we can make the rent. We are in deep anxiety. Jesus comes to us and says, “Stop it!” But...
Jesus addresses a crowd with some things he wants them to hear, but he also gives them some things he wants them to overhear. Jesus wants the crowd to overhear him talking to his disciples about their money. And I’ve begun to realize that one of the...
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