Senior Living

Which one of the following phrases is found in the Bible? “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” “Money is the root of all evil.” “Neither a borrower nor lender be.” “God helps those who help themselves.” “To Thine own self be true.”

The answer? None of them.

A proverb is defined as “a short pithy saying, stating a general truth or piece of advice.” But how can you know if a proverb is good enough for all to embrace?

There is a book in the Bible that is a collection of about 800 proverbs of godly wisdom and advice. A truly wise person will live by moral guidelines that are found in the Bible.

Our post-Christian culture has produced some of its own proverbs which have had an impact on the way many Americans think and behave.

For example, “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you are with.” For a person of fidelity, I cannot imagine a worse piece of proverbial advice.

Another modern-day un-biblical proverb is “Abortion is healthcare.” And yes, there are those who really believe that.

There are also very deceptive proverbs that may sound catchy but have an agenda behind them: “Guns don’t kill people, people who like guns kill people.”

Proverbs can be used to help shape the morals of a nation for its benefit or its demise. What kind of proverbs do you embrace?

Instead of writing our own words of wisdom, why not embrace the proven wisdom of the ages?

My favorite proverb is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.”

How different this world would be if we followed the wisdom from above.

Next Week: Asking the Lord’s blessing

Dan Williams is the senior adult pastor at Lexington Baptist Church.