Welcome to Wisdom Today with Bill Kelley. Today we will be going over Proverb 21. I will then key in on verse 21 - He who follows righteousness and mercy Finds life, righteousness and honor. Friends, this is a verse that, I believe, is the desire of God for each of our lives. I believe that He wants us to follow righteousness and mercy. Jesus often had compassion on people. I liken the word compassion to the word mercy. These words mean that we truly care about other people and their plight in life. We should want to help people if they are in need. The second part of this verse - "finds life, righteousness, and honor" reminds me of the 2nd part of John 10:verse 10 which says that Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. I believe if we find life, righteousness and honor we will be living the abundant life. Please give this some careful thought. Today, my verse for the day is from the Book of James, Chapter 1. Verse 19 tells us to be - quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. This is such a powerful verse. I believe that if you can learn to master these three suggestions that you will acquire wisdom. Our natural tendency is NOT to be quick to hear. Our natural tendency is to say what we want to say and have everyone hear what we have to say. James tells us that we shouldn't be that way. Instead, we are to be quick to hear (what other people have to say), slow to share what we so desperately want people to hear, and be slow to anger (yes - that is even when people cut right in front of us prior to slamming on our brakes at a red light). Call to action - get alone with God and ask Him if you are good in this area. If you have struggled with this particular verse in the past, may I suggest that you repent for the way that you have been in the past and ask God to assist you in changing your ways moving forward. Suggested scripture reading: 1. Reread Proverb 21 today; 2. Read Proverb 22 tomorrow; and 3. Read Proverb 23 on Sunday
