but the righteous are rewarded with good things.
Proverbs 13:21 (from Bible.com)
A thought: I have never gained so much from my sin that it beats the negative results. I want to be holy in my work and life, looking to a Saviour who went before me and saved me.
A prayer: Jesus, you paid no heed to the shame of the cross, because you saw ahead to the joy of heaven. Help me seek you. Amen
Some places where else this is discussed:
My thoughts:
Lots of people like to talk up their latest favourite purchase
s. Its part of the fun of buying stuff, including the fact that you had the money to splurge on it.
Yet the people mentioned in this proverb aren’t boasting about things they have, but are completely deceiving others about their wealth. The two types are rich people pretending to be poor and those with very little lying about being wealthy. We ought to be wary of deceptive people like this. In all likelihood the motivation is greed or high social standing. Who knows what other lies one might tell if guided by these desires.
We seem to feel compelled to help someone claiming to be desperate or feel drawn to associate with well-off people. Let’s be careful to not join in any such lies and likewise be careful to avoid being deceived.
Thanks for reading! Pete.
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Thoughts or questions? Have your say in the comments section!
Photo Attribution: Heather Used under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0
Some places where else this is discussed:
My thoughts:
We are often undone by our own actions. Whether it’s at work or home, with our finances or relationships, our mess ups turn back onto us. People have a way of exposing a matter if it’s affected them, revealing our deception, error, or hurtful actions.
This proverb talks of a person saved or destroyed respectively by her good or evil behaviour. The woman of integrity is protected from harsh outcomes because of her obedience to God’s good commands. She sticks to what she knows God would have her do. The sinful woman experiences the full force of her actions and has no help in her fall. Let’s take God at his word and seek righteousness in Christ. It will guard us from many pains.
Thanks for reading! Pete.
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Thoughts or questions? Have your say in the comments section!
Photo Attribution: Mika Hiironniemi Used under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0
Some places where else this is discussed:
Prov. 6:16-19, 8:13, Psalm 119:163
My thoughts:
Hate is a strong emotion. We shouldn’t hate people personally, but we are given free 
reign in the Bible to hate evil. Evil deserves drastic action. For us to hate our own evil actions or the temptation to do them, we’d need to avoid them, stamp them out, and flee such things.
In this proverb, the man who seeks to be righteous despises any deception; he follows in what God hates. The wicked man has no qualms about lying, as long as it gets them what they want. Yet they bring upon themselves all manner of shame. So often the truth ousts us. We realise it would have been far better to have not lied in the first place.
Thoughts or questions? Have your say in the comments section!
Photo Attribution: FLASHFLOOD® Used under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0
On Proverbs 