Proverbs 11:1-31 (NLT)
1 The LORD detests the use of dishonest scales, but he delights in accurate weights.
2 Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.
3 Honesty guides good people; dishonesty destroys treacherous people.
4 Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death.
5 The godly are directed by honesty; the wicked fall beneath their load of sin.
6 The godliness of good people rescues them; the ambition of treacherous people traps them.
7 When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.
8 The godly are rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead.
9 With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.
10 The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die.
11 Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.
12 It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet.
13 A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.
14 Without wise leadership, a nation falls; there is safety in having many advisers.
15 There’s danger in putting up security for a stranger’s debt; it’s safer not to guarantee another person’s debt.
16 A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
17 Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.
18 Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last.
19 Godly people find life; evil people find death.
20 The LORD detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity.
21 Evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.
22 A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 The godly can look forward to a reward, while the wicked can expect only judgment.
24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.
25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
26 People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need.
27 If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!
28 Trust in your money and down you go! But the godly flourish like leaves in spring.
29 Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.
30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.
31 If the righteous are rewarded here on earth, what will happen to wicked sinners?
There is an inner guide to be trusted where its heart has yielded to righteousness and holiness. It will follow in a way that may not bring immediate gratification to the flesh as it sets aside personal ambition for the path that is right. For each choice of the wicked’s path, however, there is a disconnect from the righteous guide. Though He may be there providing the needed direction, the heart given to wickedness, even on a “small” level, has shut down communication to anything other than personal promotion and pleasure. The danger is that the path chosen by the heart has a destination – righteousness to blessing and prosperity on this earth, and wickedness/evil to loss, regret, and defeat.
In Christ the Holy Spirit has come to be our guide on the inside. He is ever providing the necessary direction, even though it may not please the cravings of the flesh. For every one, though, that rises from the confines of self-indulgence to follow after Him, there is an immediate reward with every yielding. Peace and joy replace strife and division, while feet are placed on a path of heavenly destination.