The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord. Have you ever come across someone whose actions do not match their words? This Proverb is a clear example of how Solomon did not practice what he taught. In Deuteronomy 17:16 the Israelites are forbidden from importing horses and using them for their own gain. Yet Solomon imported 40,000 horses during his reign as king.  Reliance on horses for safety was ascribed as vain (Psalm 33:17). While it is not wrong to make use of material things, we need […]

Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find? We all can fall into the tendency of thinking of ourselves as better than we actually are.  We find ourselves making promises that we cannot keep; a pact to keep a secret and then two days later we find ourselves passing the information onto someone else; a declaration of trust „I will never hurt/betray/leave you“ that is broken sooner than we ever saw possible; marriage vows that seem so easy to say and yet so hard to keep. Our intentions are good, […]

Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good; haste makes mistakes. “Hasty feet lose the head,” – my grandmother used to tell me. Once I was in such a hurry to get to the train station in Stockholm on time that I arrived too early and therefore got on the wrong train on the right platform. Fortunately, I didn’t lose my head, I ended up going in the wrong direction and got a funny story to tell my grandchildren. David’s nephew Asahel lost his head because of his zeal and haste. Without need and without orders, he […]

Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. “Give power to a small man, and he will soon show you how small he is,” – wrote one Asian columnist. How much the world has suffered from the little people who became proud by imagining that they are something they are not. They are almost always behind the world’s worst wars and conflicts. They irresponsibly play with our lives in the daily political reality. They carry out mobbing of their colleagues in the workplace. These are the local bullies and those who […]

One who withholds his words has knowledge, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. As I sit and think about what to write, a thought comes to my head, you should have read more Proverbs. It’s hard to count the number of times I’ve left a meeting dejected and disappointed in myself because I spoke much more than I planned. To make matters worse, it mostly happened because I allowed myself to be provoked by someone’s statement or attitude. Keeping composure in life’s situations is imperative for a disciple of Jesus and that […]

A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps. There is a big difference between our planning and God’s direction. Would you have believed it if someone had told you 20, 10, or 5 years ago that you would be in this place? Is that good or bad? Are you where you want to be? 20 years ago I thought I had a plan for my life. It was a good plan. Then, suddenly, another possibility opened up, and I found myself in a dilemma. Asking the Lord to guide me, he […]

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Probably, while reading the Bible, you have come across the event recorded in 1 Samuel 15 in which King Saul did not fully carry out God’s command under the pretext that he did it in order to offer a sacrifice to God. Upon learning of this, the prophet Samuel reminded him that no religious ritual could save him from a moral crisis and disobedience to God’s command. God does not ask his people to glorify […]

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. Jealousy happens when something we have (a special relationship with someone, a position at work, etc.) is threatened by another person. The musician from  Northern Ireland, Van Morrison in the song Professional Jealousy sings that…  (jealousy) makes a man bitter and furious when he thinks that there is someone who will beat him… Saul, in fits of pathological jealousy, wanted to kill young David who, in fact, was loyal to him and had a sincere respect for the king and God’s […]

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. They say hope dies last. However, when this happens the consequences are far-reaching. Confusion, disappointment, disbelief, bitterness and cynicism are progressively born in the heart of those who have lost hope. King David describes this state when he asks the question that is found in the famous verses from the Bible: “Why are you faint for me, my soul, and why are you weeping within me?” (Psalm 42:6) What are the possible reasons for losing hope? This question is not […]