Posts by Josh Moody

Isaiah 17-20, Proverbs 21:17-31, Luke 22:14-23, Hebrews 4:12-16  Proverbs 21:17-31: Be a person of true understanding! “Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich” (21:17). If you make money, but you immediately spend it, then it doesn’t matter how much you make! The first way to get yourself…

Isaiah 14-16, Proverbs 21:1-16, Luke 22:1-13, Hebrews 4:1-11  Proverbs 21:1-16:  “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will” (21:1). Even the powerful are in God’s hands! Therefore, take courage you who are oppressed—and pray! You have a defender in heaven. “Every way of a man is right in…

Isaiah 11-13, Proverbs 20:16-30, Luke 21:29-38, Hebrews 3  Proverbs 20:16-30:  “Take a man’s garment when he has put up security for a stranger, and hold it in pledge when he puts up security for foreigners” (20:16). Soft-hearted is good; soft-brained is not. Lord, give us tender hearts and tough minds! Thick skin and gentle disposition. Being good and weak…

Isaiah 9-10, Proverbs 20:1-15, Luke 21:20-28, Hebrews 2:10-18  Proverbs 20:1-15: Be wise! “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.” (20:1). Christians have differences of conscience regarding whether total abstinence, teetotalism, or moderate drinking is the right approach. The Bible does tell us that wine makes glad the…

Isaiah 6-8, Proverbs 19:15-29, Luke 21:1-19, Hebrews 2:1-9  Proverbs 19:15-29: “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger” (19:15). We constantly need to fight against the sweet danger of laziness: yes, it can bring you deep sleep (relaxation, calm), but if not addressed, laziness can lead to real “hunger.” The solution to every…

Isaiah 3-5, Proverbs 19:1-14, Luke 20:41-47, Hebrews 1:10-41  Proverbs 19:1-14: More words of wisdom! “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool” (19:1). Better the poor whose way of life is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse. We understandably fear poverty, but there…

Isaiah 1-2, Proverbs 18, Luke 20:27-40, Hebrews 1:1-9  Proverbs 18:  “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” (18:1). Friendliness is much prized by many people and for good reason. For behind a belligerent unfriendliness is often a selfish goal, and that leads to quarrelling. How to be friendly? Pursue not selfish…

Esther 9-10, Proverbs 17:15-28, Luke 20:20-26, Philemon 12-25   Proverbs 17:15-28:   More acute, timely, and timeless wisdom from Proverbs. Read, learn, and inwardly digest!   We start with a proverb about justice:  “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord” (17:15).   It is as bad to excuse those who do evil as…

Esther 7-8, Proverbs 17:1-14, Luke 20:9-19, Philemon 1-11   Proverbs 17:1-14:   Take these proverbs, read them, reflect on them, and learn from them! We begin with some wisdom about home life and the household:  “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife” (17:1).   “A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son…

Esther 5-6, Proverbs 16:17-33, Luke 20:1-8, Titus 3:9-15   Proverbs 16:17-33:   It is easy to assume that evil is something obvious, rare, or unlikely to affect us. But the reality is subtler. Here is a set of Proverbs that press into various ways that we need to resist evil and develop Christlikeness in the pursuit of wisdom to the…