STAYBLESSED

Some People Can't See What God Is Doing

Proverbs 29

If People Can't See What God Is Doing

¹ For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn,
There'll come a day when life tumbles in and they break,
   but by then it'll be too late to help them.

² When good people run things, everyone is glad,
   but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans.

³ If you love wisdom, you'll delight your parents,
   but you'll destroy their trust if you run with whores.

⁴ A leader of good judgment gives stability;
   an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.

⁵ A flattering neighbor is up to no good;
   he's probably planning to take advantage of you.

⁶ Evil people fall into their own traps;
   good people run the other way, glad to escape.

⁷ The good-hearted understand what it's like to be poor;
   the hardhearted haven't the faintest idea.

⁸ A gang of cynics can upset a whole city;
   a group of sages can calm everyone down.

⁹ A sage trying to work things out with a fool
   gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.

¹⁰ Murderers hate honest people;
   moral folks encourage them.

¹¹ A fool lets it all hang out;
   a sage quietly mulls it over.

¹² When a leader listens to malicious gossip,
   all the workers get infected with evil.

¹³ The poor and their abusers have at least something in common:
   they can both see—their sight, God's gift!

¹⁴ Leadership gains authority and respect
   when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.

¹⁵ Wise discipline imparts wisdom;
   spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.

18) If people can't see what God is doing,
   they stumble all over themselves;
But when they attend to what he reveals,
   they are most blessed.

¹⁹ It takes more than talk to keep workers in line;
   mere words go in one ear and out the other.

²⁰ Observe the people who always talk before they think—