301 The skeptic swore, "There is no God! No God! - I can do anything I want! 2 I'm more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me. 3 "I flunked 'wisdom.' I see no evidence of a holy God. 4 Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now - tell me!" 5 The believer replied, "Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. 6 So don't second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies."
7 And then he prayed, "God, I'm asking for two things before I die; don't refuse me - 8 Banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence. Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little. 9 If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?' If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."
10 Don't blow the whistle on your fellow workers behind their backs; They'll accuse you of being underhanded, and then you'll be the guilty one! 11 Don't curse your father or fail to bless your mother. 12 Don't imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven't had a bath in weeks. 13 Don't be stuck-up and think you're better than everyone else. 14 Don't be greedy, merciless and cruel as wolves, Tearing into the poor and feasting on them, shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.
15 A leech has twin daughters named "Gimme" and "Gimme more." Four Insatiables Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, "That's enough, thank you!" - 16 hell, a barren womb, a parched land, a forest fire. 17 An eye that disdains a father and despises a mother - that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles. Four Mysteries
18 Three things amaze me, no, four things I'll never understand - 19 how an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over a rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why adolescents act the way they do. 20 Here's how a prostitute operates: she has sex with her client, Takes a bath, then asks, "Who's next?" Four Intolerables 21 Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations - 22 when the janitor becomes the boss, when a fool gets rich, 23 when a whore is voted "woman of the year," when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife. Four Small Wonders
24 There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are - 25 ants - frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter; 26 marmots - vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes; 27 locusts - leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment; 28 lizards - easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards. Four Dignitaries
29 There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing - 30 a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none; 31 a rooster, proud and strutting; a billy goat; a head of state in stately procession. 32 If you're dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, 33 Don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.
311 The words of King Lemuel, the strong advice his mother gave him: 2 "Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of! Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God! 3 Don't dissipate your virility on fortune-hunting women, promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders. 4 "Leaders can't afford to make fools of themselves, gulping wine and swilling beer, 5 Lest, hung over, they don't know right from wrong, and the people who depend on them are hurt. 6 Use wine and beer only as sedatives, to kill the pain and dull the ache 7 Of the terminally ill, for whom life is a living death. 8 "Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. 9 Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!"
10 A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. 11 Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. 12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long. 13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing. 14 She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises. 15 She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day. 16 She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden. 17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. 18 She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. 19 She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking. 20 She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor. 21 She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. 22 She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. 23 Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers. 24 She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops. 25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile. 26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. 27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. 28 Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: 29 "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!" 30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God. 31 Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!
111 Will you put up with a little foolish aside from me? Please, just for a moment. 2 The thing that has me so upset is that I care about you so much - this is the passion of God burning inside me! I promised your hand in marriage to Christ, presented you as a pure virgin to her husband. 3 And now I'm afraid that exactly as the Snake seduced Eve with his smooth patter, you are being lured away from the simple purity of your love for Christ. 4 It seems that if someone shows up preaching quite another Jesus than we preached - different spirit, different message - you put up with him quite nicely.
5 But if you put up with these big-shot "apostles," why can't you put up with simple me? I'm as good as they are. 6 It's true that I don't have their voice, haven't mastered that smooth eloquence that impresses you so much. But when I do open my mouth, I at least know what I'm talking about. We haven't kept anything back. We let you in on everything. 7 I wonder, did I make a bad mistake in proclaiming God's Message to you without asking for something in return, serving you free of charge so that you wouldn't be inconvenienced by me? 8 It turns out that the other churches paid my way so that you could have a free ride. 9 Not once during the time I lived among you did anyone have to lift a finger to help me out. My needs were always supplied by the Christians from Macedonia province. I was careful never to be a burden to you, and I never will be, you can count on it. 10 With Christ as my witness, it's a point of honor with me, and I'm not going to keep it quiet just to protect you from what the neighbors will think. 11 It's not that I don't love you; God knows I do. 12 I'm just trying to keep things open and honest between us. 13 They're a sorry bunch - pseudo-apostles, lying preachers, crooked workers - posing as Christ's agents but sham to the core. 14 And no wonder! Satan does it all the time, dressing up as a beautiful angel of light. 15 So it shouldn't surprise us when his servants masquerade as servants of God. But they're not getting by with anything. They'll pay for it in the end. Many a Long and Lonely Night
(Read 2 Corinthians 11:1-4)
The apostle desired to preserve the Corinthians from being corrupted by the false apostles. There is but one Jesus, one Spirit, and one gospel, to be preached to them, and received by them; and why should any be prejudiced, by the devices of an adversary, against him who first taught them in faith? They should not listen to men, who, without cause, would draw them away from those who were the means of their conversion.
(Read 2 Corinthians 11:5-15)
It is far better to be plain in speech, yet walking openly and consistently with the gospel, than to be admired by thousands, and be lifted up in pride, so as to disgrace the gospel by evil tempers and unholy lives. The apostle would not give room for any to accuse him of worldly designs in preaching the gospel, that others who opposed him at Corinth, might not in this respect gain advantage against him. Hypocrisy may be looked for, especially when we consider the great power which Satan, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, has upon the minds of many. And as there are temptations to evil conduct, so there is equal danger on the other side. It serves Satan's purposes as well, to set up good works against the atonement of Christ, and salvation by faith and grace. But the end will discover those who are deceitful workers; their work will end in ruin. Satan will allow his ministers to preach either the law or the gospel separately; but the law as established by faith in Christ's righteousness and atonement, and the partaking of his Spirit, is the test of every false system.
