Day 13 of Pastor Chris' Paraphrase of Proverbs Devotional

Day 13  Wisdom requires discipline, self-control, patience, and persistence. You need to take a long-view of things. What you want right now is not necessarily what you need in the long run. What feels good right now may damage your long-term goals. Fools are impulsive. Wise people are patient and persistently work hard for the future. Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 13:3 - Watch what you say and how you say it; your life may depend on it. People who speak without thinking get into big trouble. Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 13:16 - Smart people think before they act, but fools are impulsive and everyone sees it.  Your natural inclination may be to pop off with the first thing that comes to mind or to respond harshly when someone is rude or wrong. Some think it's an virtue to have "no filter", but a wise person thinks before they speak. A wise person knows when to be blunt and when to be smooth and when to be gentle or hard and when to just keep quiet. Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 13:4 - Lazy people want it all and never feel satisfied, but hard work pays off for people who keep at it. Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs 13:11 - If you get rich quick, you’ll spend it quick; but if you earn it over a lifetime of hard work, you’ll have even more. Impulsive desires drive people to waste time, resources, energy, and money on things that don't really satisfy. You never have what you want and when you get it, you realize it wasn't what you really wanted anyway. Wise people learn to control their impulses and work steadily for things of lasting value. Through hard work, they learn to value what's really important and take care of it. It takes longer, but they are more fulfilled in the end. Be wise. Take the long view of life. Be patient and persistent. Work hard. Succeed. Prayer "Father, help me to control my impulses.  Help me think before I speak. Help me to control my cravings.  Help me to focus on what's really important--things with lasting value.  Motivate me to work hard and be persistent for the right things and so be fully satisfied with a life well lived and an eternity with You.  Amen." Read Proverbs Chapter 13
New American Standard Bible	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase
Proverbs 13 Contrast of the Upright and the Wicked 1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. 2 From the fruit of a man’s mouth he [a]enjoys good, But the [b]desire of the treacherous is violence. 3 The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; The one who opens wide his lips [c]comes to ruin. 4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat. 5 A righteous man hates falsehood, But a wicked man [d]acts disgustingly and shamefully. 6 Righteousness guards the [e]one whose way is blameless, But wickedness subverts the [f]sinner. 7 There is one who pretends to be rich, but has nothing; Another [g]pretends to be poor, but has great wealth. 8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, But the poor hears no rebuke. 9 The light of the righteous [h]rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked goes out. 10 Through insolence [i]comes nothing but strife, But wisdom is with those who receive counsel. 11 Wealth obtained by [j]fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers [k]by labor increases it. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire [l]fulfilled is a tree of life. 13 The one who despises the word will be [m]in debt to it, But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded. 14 The [n]teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, To turn aside from the snares of death. 15 Good understanding produces favor, But the way of the treacherous is hard. 16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool [o]displays folly. 17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful envoy brings healing. 18 Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects [p]discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored. 19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul, But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. 20 He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm. 21 Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity. 22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his [q]children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. 23 Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But [r]it is swept away by injustice. 24 He who withholds his [s]rod hates his son, But he who loves him [t]disciplines him diligently. 25 The righteous [u]has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need. Footnotes: a.   Proverbs 13:2 Lit eats b.   Proverbs 13:2 Lit soul c.   Proverbs 13:3 Lit ruin is his d.   Proverbs 13:5 Lit causes a bad odor and causes shame e.   Proverbs 13:6 Lit blamelessness of way f.    Proverbs 13:6 Lit sin g.   Proverbs 13:7 Lit impoverishes himself h.   Proverbs 13:9 I.e. shines brightly i.   Proverbs 13:10 Lit gives j.   Proverbs 13:11 Lit vanity k.   Proverbs 13:11 Or gradually; lit on the hand l.    Proverbs 13:12 Lit coming m.  Proverbs 13:13 Lit pledged to it n.   Proverbs 13:14 Or law o.   Proverbs 13:16 Lit spreads out p.   Proverbs 13:18 Or instruction q.   Proverbs 13:22 Lit sons’ sons r.    Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept s.   Proverbs 13:24 I.e. correction or discipline t.   Proverbs 13:24 Lit seeks him diligently with discipline u.   Proverbs 13:25 Lit eats to the satisfaction of his soul	Proverbs 13 1 A wise child accepts a parent’s discipline; a sarcastic fool doesn’t even hear it. 2 A fruitful conversation nourishes the soul, but deceitful people breathe violence. 3 Watch what you say and how you say it; your life may depend on it. People who speak without thinking get into big trouble. 4 Lazy people want it all and never feel satisfied, but hard work pays off for people who keep at it. 5 People who live right hate lies, but the ungodly do stuff that stinks to high heaven. 6 Godly behavior protects people with integrity, but sin ruins the sinner. 7 Some people pretend to be rich when they’re really poor; others pretend to be poor when they’re really rich. 8 A rich person can pay a ransom to save their life, but a poor person wouldn’t be taken hostage in the first place. 9 People who live right shine with joy, but the candle of the ungodly flickers out. 10 People too proud to listen always have drama, but those who listen to wise counsel avoid it. 11 If you get rich quick, you’ll spend it quick; but if you earn it over a lifetime of hard work, you’ll have even more. 12 It breaks your heart when your hopes are dashed, but it gives you life when you get what you want. 13 People who despise authority will be silenced or destroyed, but those who respect the law will live in peace. 14 The Torah in wise hands is a source of life; it steers a person clear of deadly traps. 15 Good choices lead to gracious rewards, but traitors are headed toward their doom. 16 Smart people think before they act, but fools are impulsive and everyone sees it. 17 An ungodly messenger falls down on the job, but a faithful ambassador brings healing. 18 Those who refuse to learn will end up poor and ashamed, but someone who learns from their mistakes will be honored. 19 It is so sweet when you get what you hope for, but fools can’t stand to repent of evil. 20 Hang out with wise people and you’ll learn to be wise; hang out with fools and you'll get burned. 21 Evil chases sinners, but good comes to those who live right. 22 A good person’s able to leave an inheritance even to their grandchildren, but a sinner’s wealth is passed on to those who live right. 23 All the food a hungry person could ever want is right there in the field, but a greedy world scrapes it away before the poor have a chance to get what they need--and no one says a thing.  24 Whoever refuses to strictly discipline their children really hates them; those who love them might even use a switch to teach them important lessons. 25 People who live right will eat until their heart’s content, but ungodly belly’s will growl with hunger.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase of Proverbs (PCP) Copyright © 2018 by Chris Mullis