Day 27 of Pastor Chris' Paraphrase of Proverbs Devotional

Day 27  A wise person takes care of the people and things most important to them--your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your boss, your employees, your health, your essentials... Always put these first and you will reap the rewards. Pastor Chris' Paraphrase of Proverbs 27:18, & 23-27 18 If you take care of a fig tree, you get to eat its fruit.  If you take care of your boss, your boss will take care of you. 23-27 Know what’s really going on with your flock; pay close attention to them.  Money doesn’t last forever and you might not always be in charge, but if your flock is well fed and you’ve stored up hay for the hard times, you can make clothes from your sheep’s wool and sell your goats for good profit and you’ll always have enough milk to feed yourself, your family, and everyone who’s important to you. Know who and what's really important to you. Pray for them constantly. Think about what they need and how to care for them. Take the initiative and be attentive. Always do more than is expected. Prayer "Lord, make me aware of those people and things that really matter to me.  Help me to know how to really bless them and care for them that I may do all I can to tend the flock you've given me.  Amen." Read Proverbs Chapter 27
New American Standard Bible	Pastor Chris’ Paraphrase
Proverbs 27 Warnings and Instructions 1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips. 3 A stone is heavy and the sand weighty, But the provocation of a fool is heavier than both of them. 4 Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? 5 Better is open rebuke Than love that is concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But [a]deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. 7 A sated [b]man [c]loathes honey, But to a famished [d]man any bitter thing is sweet. 8 Like a bird that wanders from her nest, So is a man who wanders from his [e]home. 9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad, So a [f]man’s counsel is sweet to his friend. 10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, And do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. 11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, That I may reply to him who reproaches me. 12 A prudent man sees evil and hides himself, The [g]naive proceed and pay the penalty. 13 Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger; And for an [h]adulterous woman hold him in pledge. 14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him. 15 A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike; 16 He who would [i]restrain her [j]restrains the wind, And [k]grasps oil with his right hand. 17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. 18 He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who cares for his master will be honored. 19 As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man. 20 [l]Sheol and [m]Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied. 21 The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him. 22 Though you pound a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, Yet his foolishness will not depart from him. 23 Know well the [n]condition of your flocks, And pay attention to your herds; 24 For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations. 25 When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, And the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, 26 The lambs will be for your clothing, And the goats will bring the price of a field, 27 And there will be goats’ milk enough for your food, For the food of your household, And sustenance for your maidens. Footnotes: Proverbs 27:6 Or excessive Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul Proverbs 27:7 Lit tramples on Proverbs 27:7 Lit soul \ Proverbs 27:8 Lit place Proverbs 27:9 Lit soul’s Proverbs 27:12 Lit simple Proverbs 27:13 Lit strange Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s) Proverbs 27:16 Lit hide(s) Proverbs 27:16 Lit encounters Proverbs 27:20 I.e. The nether world Proverbs 27:20 I.e. the place of destruction Proverbs 27:23 Lit face	Proverbs 27 1 Don't brag about tomorrow, because it's not here yet and you have no idea what might really happen between now and then. 2 Let someone else sing your praises instead of doing it yourself--a stranger’s boast is better than your own. 3 A stone is heavy and a bag of sand is heavier, but the trouble caused by a fool heavier than both. 4 Someone who’s furious is cruel; anger can overwhelm, but jealousy is the worst emotion of all. 5 It’s better to be publicly corrected than secretly loved. 6 A few well-intentioned wounds from a friend are much better than a thousand kisses from an enemy. 7 Someone who’s already full will turn down dessert, but even bitter food taste good when you’re starving. 8 Someone who wanders away from home is like a baby bird who falls out of the nest. 9 A friend’s heartfelt advice has a sweet smelling scent to a troubled soul. 10 Always be there for your friends and your family’s friends; and count on your neighbors when you have trouble of your own.  A neighbor who lives nearby is better than a brother who lives far away. 11 Son, be wise and make me proud; you’ll be my answer to anyone who looks down on me. 12 A careful person sees trouble coming and steers clear; someone naive walks right into it and suffers the consequences. 13 Only give a loan if the cosigner has collateral; go ahead and take the collateral if they’re cosigning for a stranger. 14 Your neighbor will see a loud, cheerful blessing as a curse if you give it early in the morning. 15-16 A wife who always argues is like a leaky roof on a rainy day--drip, drip, drip!  You’ll have as much success keeping her happy as you will stopping the wind or holding a slippery bottle with oily hands. 17 People sharpen each other like steel sharpening a blade. 18 If you take care of a fig tree, you get to eat its fruit.  If you take care of your boss, your boss will take care of you. 19 A person’s heart reveals who they really are as clearly as a mirror shows you your own face. 20 People are never satisfied with what they already have just like Death always wants more people in the grave. 21 Fire purifies silver and gold, and people are tested by how they handle praise. 22 You can never take the foolishness out of a fool, no matter how finely you grind and sift them. 23-27 Know what’s really going on with your flock; pay close attention to them.  Money doesn’t last forever and you might not always be in charge, but if your flock is well fed and you’ve stored up hay for the hard times, you can make clothes from your sheep’s wool and sell your goats for good profit and you’ll always have enough milk to feed yourself, your family, and everyone who’s important to you.
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