Monday, January 17, 2011

Day 17 - Proverbs 17

I think everyone knows the first part of the first verse I bolded. I have some really wonderful friends. I could fill this whole blog up with their names and what makes them so special to me (And I hope if you're reading this you know exactly why you're special to me because every one of you are.) But instead, I'm going to focus on why my friends are special as a whole. The other day the proverb talked about choosing friends wisely. I have consciously chosen my closest and dearest friends because of Provers 17:22. They make my heart merry! They help me when I have a down day. They laugh with me and sometimes cry with me. They pray with me and teach me how to pray better. I have writer friends and teacher friends, I have just-be-crazy-with friends and spiritual sisters (and a few brothers). My best friend in this whole wide world you all know is Patty Smith. (This is a picture of us that was taken just this past summer.) What makes her my best friend? Well, we have history. We did EVERYTHING in high school together and I'm not exaggerating. Our senior year we were voted "sisters". But more recently she has taught me the true meaning of life and love and faith. She has 100% made me a better person. That is a true friend. A friend LOVES at ALL times. My friends are so very important to me. I honestly could not have accomplished what I have (and still am attempting to accomplish) without my family and friends' support and encouragement. I truly appreciate and cherish every kind word, every cheer rooting me on, every Scripture passage shared. So to all my friends, as The Golden Girls theme song says, "Thank you for being a friend."


Proverbs 17

1 Better is a dry morsel with quietness, Than a house full of feasting with strife. 2 A wise servant will rule over a son who causes shame, And will share an inheritance among the brothers. 3 The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts. 4 An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue. 5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. 6 Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father. 7 Excellent speech is not becoming to a fool, Much less lying lips to a prince. 8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; Wherever he turns, he prospers. 9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. 10 Rebuke is more effective for a wise man
Than a hundred blows on a fool. 11 An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him. 12 Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, Rather than a fool in his folly. 13 Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil will not depart from his house. 14 The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts. 15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the just, Both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. 16 Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom,
Since he has no heart for it? 17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity. 18 A man devoid of understanding shakes hands in a pledge, And becomes surety for his friend. 19 He who loves transgression loves strife, And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction. 20 He who has a deceitful heart finds no good, And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil. 21 He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy. 22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones. 23 A wicked man accepts a bribe behind the back To pervert the ways of justice. 24 Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. 25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him. 26 Also, to punish the righteous is not good, Nor to strike princes for their uprightness. 27 He who has knowledge spares his words, And a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. 28 Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.

1 comment:

Michele Clark said...

Thank YOU for being a friend and for God bringing you into my life!