Apicontent

My Son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them… (Proverbs 1:10)

He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Proverbs 13:20)

He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but a companion of gluttons disgraces his father. (Proverbs 28:7)

There’s a fun country and western song written by Dewayne Blackwell and Bud Lee and sung by Garth Brooks that, without intending to, describes one of life’s riskiest entanglements. Called “Friends in Low Places,” the ballad proclaims:

‘Cause I’ve got friends in low places,
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away.
And I’ll be okay.
I’m not big on social graces.
Think I’ll slip on down to the oasis.
Oh, I’ve got friends in low places.

While the mythical star in the song exults in his scuzzy companions, he’s in a very vulnerable situation. The biblical principle is that the friends we choose shape the character we’ll possess. Proverbs leads off in chapter one with an admonition to avoid the influence of those who would coax us into doing what is wrong.

Principle: Responding to cautions about unsavory companions with, ”I can handle ’em!” is not only naive, but it ignores the spiritual cross-pollination that occurs in relationships.

My grandmother, who had only a fifth-grade education, had a reservoir of wisdom wrapped in down-home proverbs. On friendship, she shared two memorable maxims: “Birds of a feather flock together” and “Water seeks its own level.” When I was a college president, I noted the validity of these proverbs in how quickly the new fresh­men who weren’t “with the program” spiritually found upperclassmen who shared their contempt for righteousness! They truly did “seek their own [moral and spiritual] level” and soon could be seen “flocking together.”

Principle: The associates we choose both reveal and feed the moral appetites of our souls.

My dad told me of the time some of his teenage schoolmates were going out on a Saturday evening of fun, when the leader of the group decided this was the night they would prove their manhood by patronizing a brothel. When my dad discovered this, he got out of the car and walked a number of miles home. Even though he did not know Jesus Christ at that time, that decision, among others, enabled him to marry my mom as a virgin.

Interesting that Solomon and his associates found that even fraternizing with gluttons—not just whoremongers, thieves, or liars—was a moral risk factor. Scary thought in a nation riddled with obesity.

Principle: Sin is extremely contagious and is commonly spread by the infected companions we choose.

So when choosing friends or, for that matter, determining which work associates we will spend our time with, it is best to pick only those who can elevate our moral and spiritual state…true friends in high (heavenly) places.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. (Proverbs 26:11)

A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again. (Proverbs 19:19)

The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty. (Proverbs 22:3)

On more than one occasion, my wife and I have discussed a mutually held insight about human behavior. It is this: some people do not seem to possess a “consequence module” in their brains. We all do things without thinking and end up slapping our foreheads at our own lack of foresight. But my wife’s experience teaching middle schoolers and mine working in the entertainment industry have confirmed that many seem unable to link words and actions with their inevitable consequences…no matter how many times they are warned.

On two occasions, prominent men—one with seven marriages and one with four—told me, “I don’t do marriage well.” It is clear that they were unable to see the consequences of marrying the people they did, despite their previous painful failures. I’m willing to assume that someone warned them both about one or more of the brides they took…and, for that matter, warned the women of the men they were marrying.

Proverbs makes heeding warnings and learning from wrong decisions major factors in wisdom. Conversely, not learning from wrong decisions is at the heart of what the Bible calls “folly” (aka stupidity). In a rather grossly explicit passage, Solomon and his friends describe the scene in which a sick dog revisits the scene of his upchucking­ unthinkably dumb behavior, when you think of it. But—in the nature of dogs—a very predictable practice.

Principle: If they are learning experiences, bad decisions are building blocks to wisdom and good character. If not, they are not building blocks but wrecking balls.

Not only is repeating stupid decisions a mark of a fool, so is having repeated explosions of anger. Proverbs 19:19 comments on the person marked by such blowups—the “hot-tempered man.” The counsel is to let him suffer the full consequences of his explosions. Rescuing him from the consequences has two results. One, it keeps the angry person from effective-but-painful cures, and two, it draws the rescuer into an endless spiral of continuing rescues! The same counsel fits a number of other foolish behaviors. You’ll have to rescue again and again!

Principle: Breaking the chain of stupid behaviors is not only wise; it avoids the repeated agony of their consequences and protects relationships with those who love you enough to rescue you.

Neurologists say that repeating the same or similar act three times builds a synapse between nerve endings. This establishes habitual behavior, and habitual behaviors are more impulsive than rational. Repeating these behaviors still more turns the habits into either character traits or addictions. When the repeated behaviors are unwise ones, the result is bondage to folly, a bondage only divine help can break.

Principle: To avoid bondage to destructive behaviors, one must live by the principle “One stupid act is enough!” After three or more, only the Trinity can deliver you.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. (Proverbs 10:28)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 26:12)

It is fascinating to me that both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama built their political campaigns on the theme of “hope.” Clinton’s 1992 nomination acceptance speech was titled “A Place Called Hope.” Obama’s Hope poster became a cultural phenomenon and, at one point, was selling for $2,000 to $3,000 on eBay. I saw the artwork reproduced on the side of a Washington DC, inner-city building.

Campaign strategists did both candidates a huge favor by setting this theme. Hope is a prime mover in human motivation and the fuel for about every vision of human beings. The athlete’s hope of the big leagues or the Olympics drives his endless training. The teenage girl’s hope of marriage has her subscribing to Brides magazine at sixteen. The entrepreneur’s hope for a fortune drives him to mortgage the farm to start his new business. The young actress’s hope of seeing herself on the red carpet at a Hollywood film premiere propels her to Hollywood and near starvation.

Contrariwise, hopelessness signals the end of life and motivation. The POW fights to keep hope alive, knowing that to lose it is to die. The married couple is divorced before the papers are filed when one spouse loses hope that the other spouse will change or things will improve.

Proverbs links hope fulfillment to righteousness. “The hopes of the wicked come to nothing” is the axiom. “Why?” you ask. For one simple reason. When people engage in evil to fulfill their hopes, they run cross current to the power of God. God is in the business of “frustrating the hopes of the wicked.”

Principle: The flow of hope fulfillment goes in the same direction as God’s moral Law. To challenge God’s Law is to launch your hopes upstream against an all-powerful current.

I learned of a professional woman who studied diligently for months to pass an incredibly hard licensing exam, one which only 30 percent typically pass. The passing score was 170. She scored 169. Imagine how heartsick she was. Now she faces studying more and taking a more difficult version. Her friend passed the test and faces it no more. One had hope dashed; the other had it fulfilled.

Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as “being sure of what we hope for.”

Principle: Trusting in the spiritual guidance and strength of a loving God radically enhances the probability of seeing your hopes fulfilled. In fact, in the end, He guarantees their fulfillment for the faith-filled person.

Then there are the arrogant who say, “There is no God!” who act as if they are gods themselves, and who live as if wisdom was born and will die with them. King Solomon said he’d place his money on the pure fool more than one like this who is “wise in his own eyes.”

Principle: A teachable attitude is the key to hope fulfillment because the unteachable won’t heed advice and adjust their life direction onto the righteous path that fulfills all hopes.

Looking for “a place called hope”? You’ll find it in the whole counsel of God…and nowhere else.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

Wisdom Speaks: “But since you rejected me when I called, and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand, since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—when calamity over­takes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and troubles overwhelm you. Then they will call to me, but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.” (Proverbs 1:24-28)

The rural farm family in which I grew up shared a lot of maxims, figures of speech, and proverbs that no doubt had been handed down for generations. “Stewing in your own juice” and “Having to lie in the bed you have made” were two which described the inevitability of having to live with the consequences of your own decisions. The point of these—and a host of similar ones—was to embed a sense of responsibility and to encourage the virtue of teachability. Note: I called this a virtue…and I believe that it is.

When I served with the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry, I often heard Dr. Bill Bright say that the only two requisites for staff were “a heart for God and a teachable attitude.” While the personnel department had expanded this list of qualifications significantly(!), Dr. Bright was on the mark. These two attributes are foundational to life and success.

The five verses above are part of a fourteen-verse (1:20-33) mini-es­say on the consequences of unteachability from Proverbs 1. In this passage, Wisdom—a personification of the knowledge and counsel of God—calls out to those who will listen…knowing that some won’t.

The operative phrases in this passage are “refused to listen,” “paid no attention,” “did not follow my advice,” and “did not want me to correct you”—all lethal responses when God speaks.

Principle: If refusal to listen to the wise counsel of peers is stupidity, refusal to listen to the counsel of God is to solicit judgment.

Years ago, Court TV (now TRU) channel launched a program for school students entitled Choices and Consequences. The curriculum was designed to expose teens to the destructive consequences of bad choices, the ones highlighted in the dreadful court cases chronicled on the TV channel. The zinger in the choices word is that passive nonresponse is also a “choice.” In management theory, this is called the “decision of no decision.” When one makes a decision not to decide, this is a powerful choice often bearing significant consequences. It is often motivated by the wishful notion that major issues not addressed will somehow vanish by themselves.

Principle: A yes or no decision is clearly the one most recognized as having effect, but choosing not to decide can create more impact than a yes or no.

The portion of the above passage beginning, “I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you” is terrifying! Taken out of context, this message makes God appear as a vengeful, sadistic ogre. To interpret it this way ignores the fact that the unteachable person has chosen his fate by ignoring law and wise counsel. Justice scorns those who choose their fate and then whine about it when it comes. The account of the kid who murdered his parents and then pled for mercy from the court because he was an orphan is dark humor. It is also laughable.

In 2006, a judge sentenced Paris Hilton to jail time for driving with a suspended license. As Paris and her friend were leaving the court, her friend was reported to have said of the judge, “He was so mean.”

Administering justice is never mean, and God isn’t mean when He scorns those who reject His law and counsel—especially when teach­able compliance is offered as a way of escape and a source of blessing. What would really be mean would be His winking at Hitler’s crimes or punishing Mother Theresa for them. Injustice is the ultimate offense…against God and its victims.

Principle: Refusing to heed God’s counsel is to volunteer for the dire consequences and to earn scorn from the Counselor you’ve rebuffed.

In the extreme, it can be said that nobody goes to hell without choosing to go there…by ignoring the warnings against it or the free offer of escape.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him. (Proverbs 24:17-18)

Scene 1: Word comes to the thugs in a Los Angeles street gang hideout that a police sting has just netted twenty-two members of a rival gang in a drug deal gone bad. Their bitter gang enemies appear to be headed for the slammer for some serious hard time. Rejoicing ensues at the news with beer-can toasts, high fives, and cheers…for a fate they themselves deserve.

Scene 2: A major volcanic eruption buries the capital city of a nation with whom America is in a bitter and protracted war…leaving thou­sands dead and wounded. We respond by… [multiple choice].

God has a strange-but-wonderful expectation of those who share in His redemption. It is contained in the little-known “Doctrine of Non-gloating.” Expressed in Proverbs 24, it is a directive not to “gloat when your enemy falls” or rejoice when he experiences misfortune.

This directive is rooted in the clear teaching of Scriptures that God doesn’t want us involved in bringing our enemies to judgment. “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 KJV). God not only wants us to stay out of the business of executing His justice; He wants us to be free from the emotional toll the injustice of evil-doers takes on us. The resentment and bitterness that often accompany enemy attacks are not only destructive; they are heavyweight sin.

Principle: The burdensome emotions and actions of bringing down our enemies is a weight God never intended us to bear, so He frees us by bearing these burdens Himself.

Fine, we decide that we will accept God’s generous provision of spiritual freedom and rest in His all-wise and all-powerful capacity to deal with those who do us wrong. We attain some measure of inner peace that He will fight our enemies for us and go merrily along until we learn that catastrophe has befallen them. Our immediate response is, “Whoopee! They got what they deserve!”

This response is unacceptable because it assumes that we are in a morally superior position to our foes and have the right to “pile on” (alongside God, no less) when they get their comeuppance. Wrong. In actuality, we all have received as much or more forgiveness as our enemies need. Thus, we should be able to wish for them this same unlimited grace.

Principle: To wish judgment for our enemies but mercy for ourselves is unfair. It exploits the forgiveness we have received and displeases the One who gave us undeserved grace.

When Jesus was in near-death agony at the hands of His torturers at Calvary, His expression was a stunning, “Father, forgive them…” This sentence became the hallmark of the supernaturally empowered life. Imagine if He had screamed at his persecutors, ”I’ll dance the day you fry in eternal hell!” Unthinkable. Could the Father not have been displeased and turned His back on such a hateful response?

Principle: To rejoice over our enemies’ troubles is to prompt the heavenly Father to turn His attention from giving them what they deserve to disciplining our ingratitude for the grace we didn’t deserve.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good. (Proverbs 15:3)

For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths. (Proverbs 5:21)

In an event at Calvary Baptist Church in New York City—one focused on reaching the cities of the world for Christ—prominent evangelicals discussed why there is so much spiritual darkness in cities. Among the theories proffered, no one struck on one I think is key: in the urban masses, people think they can hide their sin.

In the small town in which I grew up, it was really difficult to hide your sin. Getting drunk? Being promiscuous? Doing drugs? Bashing mailboxes on the rural roads outside of town? It wasn’t uncommon to have your family know about your sin before you got home. Everybody knew you and knew what was going on. If you were homosexual, you kept it as secret as possible because it was inevitable that someone in the town would talk. In the city, a homosexual can frequent gay bars, be involved in gay events, and maybe even march in a gay pride parade and never see anyone who knows him…and might tell.

Thus, cities become dark harbors for sin-bearing ships of the night which slip in and out undetected…or not.

The Scriptures make it clear that no one—read that no one—hides anything from God. The Book declares that the “secret” things will be shouted from the housetops, or, as my mom used to warn, “Be sure your sins will find you out.”

Principle: Sin, once committed, is “posted on the cosmic Internet” where God and, eventually, others will see it. Bank on it.

My grad school French professor hated this teaching. He told how he hated the nuns at his Catholic school for making God “the Eye in the Sky” akin to the ubiquitous black helicopters of some oppressive and tyrannical regime.

But my prof completely misunderstood the benefits of this teaching. The reason injustice is rampant in society is that the evidence is hidden. A just society must have mechanisms for finding evidence of evil…so evildoers can be prosecuted.

Principle: Knowing that God sees and knows all we do is a powerful “sin-restraint mechanism” for those who believe it­ like a giant floodlight in an otherwise dark alley.

The “terror” of God’s omniscience is only for those with something to hide. We often miss the second part of the Proverbs 15:3 passage, “Watch on the evil and the good.” This refutes the axiom that “No good deed goes unpunished.” Every time we are convinced that our righteous acts and Christ-honoring actions are going unnoticed, we have this promise to encourage us.

Principle: God’s watchfulness over what we think and do is a marvelous blessing to those whose hearts are right and deeds are righteous. It means that no good deed will go unrewarded.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

The house of the righteous contains great treasure, but the income of the wicked brings them trouble. (Proverbs 15:6)

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. (Proverbs 13:22)

In the house of the wise are scores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. (Proverbs 21:20)

When someone heard the maxim, ”A fool and his money are soon parted,” he responded, “How did the fool get any money in the first place?” Good question. If there is any truism that is economically sound, it is that “wisdom is a more significant factor in wealth acquisition than stupidity.”

It seems clear that King Solomon, one of history’s richest men, understood that sin in one’s life mitigates against life success—including financial success. The common experience among celebrities, whether they be pro athletes or media stars, is to receive vast wealth and then lose it to a lifestyle of sin and folly.

Principle: The single most significant factor in wealth acquisition is righteous character. Sin and stupidity are thieves.

I once interviewed the author of a book based on research into lottery and sweepstakes winners. The conclusion to the research was clear. Most winners wished they had never won; and only a handful had much, if anything, of the windfall left even a few years after. This pattern of wasted wealth has led some to speculate that if the riches of the wealthy were distributed evenly among the world’s people, within ten years 90 percent of the money would be back in the hands of the original owners. One thing is sure, the wise and righteous people would have an odds-on advantage in recovering lost wealth and even passing it along as an inheritance. Proverbs even declares that what sinners collect is destined for ultimate ownership by the righteous!

Principle: Both acquiring and retaining significant wealth are predicated on right living. Spending on self and sinful pleasures is like signing over resources to the godly; they’ll end up with them eventually anyway.

The method and motivation deployed in acquiring wealth are often missed factors in the pursuit of prosperity. Proverbs declares that ill-gotten gain will vanish and bring with it heaps of trouble (13:11 with 15:6).

Principle: Wealth secured through righteous motivation and God-honoring methods has built-in loss insurance. Even if lost, it will be restored.

Someone has said, “Money can’t buy happiness. It just helps pay for your misery.” If prosperity does not come as God’s reward for righteous living, it will not only fail to pay for your misery, but it will come packaged with more of it.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. (Proverbs 10:27)

Long life is in her [Wisdom’s] right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. (Proverbs 3:16)

He who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life. (Proverbs 28:16b)

The entertainment industry seems preoccupied with youth and the beauty and strength associated with it. This preoccupation has percolated into the entire culture as evidenced by the ubiquitous advertisements for products that (1) keep you young, (2) make you look young, or (3) extend life and vitality. However, the entire “youth culture” typically overlooks one key ingredient in retarding the effects of aging—righteousness.

When Solomon and his friends declare that the “fear of the Lord” adds years to one’s life, they are not, I believe, talking about some mysterious or miraculous divine intervention which lengthens a person’s life span. I believe they knew that righteous living insulates a person from a host of dynamics which tend to shorten one’s life.

Principle: The single most significant factor in longevity is avoiding the evil thoughts, actions, and relationships which shorten life.

When our children were young, and my wife and I were bent on instilling godly wisdom in them, we noted stories of terrible things that happened to people. Then we analyzed together where the people were and what they were doing to make them more vulnerable to the calamity they experienced.

One such dinner table story was of a young woman in our community who lost a limb by a violent attacker. When we analyzed the story, we discovered the woman met this stranger outside a bar in a rough section of town in the early hours of the morning and got into his car with him! Pretty stupid to be where she was, be there when she was, and to trust the one she trusted. While this act of folly didn’t cost the young woman her life, it cost her the quality of the rest of her life.

Principle: Acting out that which does not reflect God’s moral law is guaranteed to knock years off your life; doing the right thing is a guaranteed life extender.

Quite apart from circumstantial peril which can shorten one’s life, the internal destruction of evil is equally life-shortening. Worry, bit­terness, hatred, envy, covetousness, rebellion, ill-motivated anger, guilt, fear of discovery, and unteachability steal life from a person one day at a time by eroding away the “life power” from the human spirit. By contrast, peace, forgiveness, love, service, generosity, worship, confession, and joyful obedience all allow the omnipotent Spirit of God to infuse the human spirit with divine energy for living.

Principle: The power which sustains and lengthens life is Spirit, and long life is in the grasp of the one energized by the Holy Spirit, not the “unholy spirits” which erode life by degrees.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him. (Proverbs 10:26)

Like cutting off one’s feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool. (Proverbs 26:6)

Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or any passer-by. (Proverbs 26:10)

A maxim declares, ”A good man is hard to find.” The same goes for a good woman, I guess. Having been in management all my adult life, I’ve noticed an increasing lament among fellow managers over their inability to find dependable people in today’s hiring market.

As a counselor to younger people, I hear the continuing agony of not being able to find trustworthy, high-integrity potential marriage mates. As a founder and former board member of a Christian school, I see exasperation at the flakiness and lack of character of parents and students.

While this perspective may be a function of my advanced years, it also may reflect a shifting of our cultural “value core,” the commitment to virtue above all else. I could cite examples.

If it’s any consolation, King Solomon had to deal with these same issues involving lazy, undependable, and untrustworthy people three thousand years ago! He reserved some of his most colorful figures of speech for describing the perils of relying on the unreliable.

“Vinegar to the teeth” and “smoke to the eyes” are metaphors reserved for the sheer irritation of giving responsibility to lazy, unmotivated people. Expecting performance from these “slugs” (as in “sluggard”) is as annoying as feeling the “fur” on your incisors after eating rhubarb or being hit with a cloud of tear gas. You can’t tolerate either very long.

Principle: To those who rely on them, people with a poor work ethic are a continuing source of annoyance and irritation. At some point, they’ll be driven to seek relief from both.

Some people are not so lazy as they are unthinking. Stupid is the modern equivalent of the more refined biblical word foolish. In a 900 BC equivalent to “shooting yourself in the foot,” Solomon and the boys portray the horrific consequences of giving responsibility to an unwise person—cutting off your feet or drinking violence. Awful.

Principle: To cut your losses before they hit, don’t give any responsibility to a person beyond his “wisdom level.” If you do, it will severely impair both you and the goal pursuit.

Solomon had a great sense of humor. This randomly shooting archer illustration conjures up hilarious-but-frightening images. Like the “loose cannon” metaphor, this picture is of a wild-eyed guy shooting arrows with no care whatever what they hit or where they land. It’s like the cross-eyed discus thrower. He didn’t win many meets, but he surely kept the spectators alert! Those who aren’t selective in the “people choices” they make in life are equally dangerous.

Principle: Choose everyone on whom you plan to rely—friends, spouses, employees, pastors, committee members, and such—with extreme care. Haphazard choices will result in endless and unnecessary hurt.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]

Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck. (Proverbs 1:8-9)

My wife and I stood in a long line with a sense of eager anticipation as we filed into a fortress-like structure with armed guards stationed strategically along the way. We were about to see the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. In a dark room in the bowels of the Tower of London, there they were a breathtakingly beautiful display of crowns and orbs and scepters and brooches of inestimable beauty and value. We were impressed. God…not so much.

Then in a more modest display, the female celebrities on the red carpet on Oscar night in Hollywood are known to wear jewelry worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to enhance their designer gowns. The Owner of all the world’s gold isn’t dazzled. For Him, gold is paving material for heavenly streets, and pearls are gate-making material.

God is impressed by the extravagant beauty of virtue! When He sees a person adorned in the awesome gemstones of holiness and the precious metals of purity, He is deeply moved. When He sees those who never rebelled at their parents’ godly counsel but wear it like a crown, that sight causes Him to say, “‘Wow!” When the beauty of His character is worn like adornment by one of His human creations, that takes God’s breath away.

Principle: God sees great beauty in a person who is virtuous­ who has listened to and obeyed the righteous teaching of a good mom and dad. That’s actually more rare than diamonds.

This principle is applied by Peter the apostle in 1 Peter 3. In his counsel to wives on how to be truly beautiful (!), he recommends, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves” (1 Peter 3:3-5).

This is not a license for men or women to present themselves like rag-a-muffins. It is an explanation that the world is full of people who are dressed to the nines but who, beneath the expensive clothing and jewelry, are morally extremely ugly.

Some of the folks who wore the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom were far from models of moral excellence. Similarly, some of the “stars” in the movie business who share in wealth which enables them to spend obscene amounts of money on clothing and jewelry are debauched.

Principle: Whatever moral beauty you received from righteous parents should be displayed in the public square and in the home. God will be deeply impressed by your being bedecked in virtue.

[from “Wisdom for the Trenches” by Dr. Larry W. Poland]