His Ambassador Blog

Proverbs is a book known for its applicable wisdom. Written by Solomon, the son of David and the third king of Israel. The Lord told Solomon that He would give him anything that He asked for. Instead of asking for riches, power, or anything of these sorts, Solomon asked for wisdom and the Lord greatly blessed him with such. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs so for the next 31 days of May we’re going to take a look at the wisdom in each one. 

Chapter Fifteen: All-encompassing righteousness.

Righteousness is something that should consume our entire lives. Every piece of us should be seeking righteousness and embracing it. 

Righteousness in Speech

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.”(v.1-2, 4, 7) 

When conversing with others the Lord calls us to be kind and gentle. Heated debates can become calm discussions. Stressful situations can be cooled down. The words of a righteous person brings peace and calmness to chaos. The righteous person pours out wisdom on others. They bring life to every room they’re in and every soul they speak to. The righteous person knows how to control what exits their lips and what doesn’t. 

Righteousness in Work and Success

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness. The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”(v.8-9, 28, 32-33) 

Remember the story of Cain and Abel? They both had different jobs: Abel was a shepherd and Cain was a farmer. When the brothers brought their offerings to the Lord, Cain brought his leftovers, the bare minimum of his harvest, while Abel brought the first and best sheep of his flock. The Lord was pleased with Abel’s offering, yet not Cain’s. The Lord asks from us our very best. The Lord did not favor Abel because he was a shepherd or because Abel had more to give Him. The Lord favored Abel’s offering because it was the best he had, he gave his all to the Lord. This is what the Lord asks us to do. He requires our very best efforts in our daily work, it won’t be perfect as we are imperfect humans. But we should be bringing our best to God. Righteousness requires hard work and growth for success. Righteousness requires us to be teachable, to accept correction, and to implement the wisdom given to us. 

Righteousness in Perspective

“A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”(v.13, 15-17) 

The Lord calls us to look positively. The Word is always talking about how we should look at life with gratitude instead of through the lens of wanting more or thinking we need more to be satisfied. We should seek to make ourselves glad by recognizing the blessings that we already have. Those whose perspective is positive and optimistic are able to enjoy life more fully because they are not focused on what they don’t have. We must remember that nothing on this earth or in this life is the prize or the goal, our prize is eternity with our Savior. We come to realize that less is more when you have the joy, peace, and love of the Lord. 

Righteousness in Relationships

“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”(v.18-20)

There is a way to live in relationships that represents Christ in us and that we walk a righteous life. With everything that we have we should try and live at peace with others. We should give generously and often. Those aiming to walk in righteousness should avoid arguing and strife, this doesn’t mean disagreements can’t be had! We won’t always see eye to eye with people but we should never forget to remember that every person we encounter in this life is made in the image of God.

Righteousness in Time

“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is! The path of life leads upward for the prudent, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath. The Lord tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but gracious words are pure. Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.”(v.23-27)

Our time on this earth is limited. There is nothing we can do to add time to our lives but we surely can use it wisely. We should complete things in due season. This is a hard one for me as I am a MAJOR procrastinator. I use the excuse that I work better under pressure but the truth is I am horrible at stewarding my time well. For some transparency, I wrote this post and many others, the night before it was supposed to be published. Thankfully, the Lord hasn’t given up on me and we’re working on it. But time is limited for all of us and the Lord has given us so much grace in letting us have another day, who are we to let is pass us by?

Righteousness in Prayer

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.”(v.29)

Finally, the prayer life of the righteous is an abundant one. They seek the Lord in everything and He hears their prayers. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated, it’s just a conversation between the believer and God. Walking with the Lord pushes you to pray for His will and He hears those prayers and makes them come to pass.