Lessons of Life

³ God won't starve an honest soul,
   but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked. 

(Proverbs 10:3)

God refuses to satisfy the cravings of the wicked - yet the child of God has every need met above measure.  There is a diligence that is to be part of our walk - the easy way is seldom the most rewarded.  The appetites of the wicked are many - yet each of them has "self" at the center (what is best for me).  The desires of a righteous man have "God" at the center.  Perhaps this is why he satisfies one over the other.

 ⁸ A wise heart takes orders;
   an empty head will come unglued.

(Proverbs 10:8)

A wise man is glad for God's instruction - it is better to admit our need for his help, relying on his direction, than to fumble around on our own.  Whenever we are willing to submit to his direction, we find that the end is much better than if we'd relied on our own efforts.  The end of our own efforts is often "awe" - not because things turned out well, but because of the mess that things are in!  

⁹ Honesty lives confident and carefree,
   but Shifty is sure to be exposed. 

(Proverbs 10:9)

Integrity is a path God calls for us to follow without compromise.  The result of following that path is "sure footing" - the ability to live confidently and carefree.  When we think of living carefree, we might think of living without worry or constraint.  Yet, a carefree life is "liberated" because it has a footing - it follows the "footing" because it has come to trust the certainty of that path.  

¹¹ The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well,
   but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse. 

(Proverbs 10:11)

Our words matter.  They either lead to life or death - God expects for our words to continually lead to life.  They either provide wisdom or confusion - a man or woman of understanding speaks wisdom, gives wise counsel, and is a trusted companion.  

Solomon has set out to show us just a few elements of "right-living" contrasted with "unwise" living.  Fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense - even lacking the "sense" to look for wisdom.  Wise conduct should be our pleasure, not a thing of "loathing" for us.  If we find that wise conduct has become a burdensome thing - we might want to evaluate some of our choices. The godly have a lasting foundation - foundation is established in the first choice of the day and the last choice of the night.  The choices that come between are usually affected by what we begin with and what we see as our end.