The West Side church of Christ

“There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want” (Proverbs 11:24 NASU). You would think the way to get ahead would be to hold all your money to yourself, but this is usually not the case. [...]

“The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath” (Proverb 11:23 NASU). Our goal should be to pursue godliness and righteousness to the point we only care about what is good. Paul tells us to dwell and think on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, or good [...]

“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion” (Proverbs 11:22 NASU). It doesn’t matter how you dress up a pig, a pig is still a pig. Often people spend a great deal of time making themselves look good to the eye. We try dieting, exercising, [...]

“The perverse in heart are an abomination to the Lord, But the blameless in their walk are His delight. Assuredly, the evil man will not go unpunished, But the descendants of the righteous will be delivered” (Proverbs 11:20-21 NASU). It often seems those who advanced in life by cheating and manipulating others get rewarded. Sometimes [...]

“He who is steadfast in righteousness will attain to life, And he who pursues evil will bring about his own death” (Proverbs 11:19 NASU). There is a definite result to the way we live our lives. We should not think we can pursue evil thoughts (e.g., lying, lust, greed, and materialism) without being affected by [...]

“The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward” (Proverbs 11:18 NASU). If only it would sink into our minds that earthly luxuries do not bring happiness and joy. The many who work for nice things and luxuries will only reap momentary pleasures at best. The true reward is found [...]

“The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward” (Proverbs 11:18 NASU). Earthly things are deceptive; they do not bring happiness and joy. The many who work for nice things and luxuries will only reap momentary pleasures at best. The true reward is found in the work of the righteous. [...]

“The merciful man does himself good, But the cruel man does himself harm” (Proverbs 11:17 NASU). This verse continues the thought of Proverbs 11:16 by showing the results of the different paths to success. We reap what we sow in life. Therefore, we do ourselves good by being merciful and kind to others (cf. Matthew [...]

“A gracious woman attains honor, And ruthless men attain riches” (Proverbs 11:16 NASU). Here are two different routes to success often taken in life. One is marked by violence and betrayal and gains temporary blessings on earth. The other is gracious, kind, and helpful and leads to something more precious and lasting than money. We [...]

“He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, But he who hates being a guarantor is secure” (Proverbs 11:15 NASU). This encourages businessmen to make sure they exercise extreme caution about how they do business and who they do business with. If there are any doubts at all, perhaps it would [...]