When you sit down with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding cease! Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven. (Don't chase the almighty dollar.)
Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies; for as he thinks in his heart, so is he. "East and drink!" he says to you, but his heart his not with you. The morsel you have eaten, you will vomit up, and waste your pleasant words.(Greedy people do not have your best interest at heart. They always want something in return.)
Do not remove the ancient landmark, nor enter the fields of the fatherless; for their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you. (God defends the ones who cannot defend themselves.)
Apply instruction to your heart, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
Do not withhold correction from a child, for if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod and deliver his soul from hell.
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice--indeed, I myself. Yes, my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak right things.
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day; for surely there is a hereafter, and your hope will not be cut off. (The fun life is not all it is cracked up to be.)
Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat; for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Respect and honor your parents.)
Buy the truth and do not sell it. Also wisdom and instruction and understanding.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. (Make your parents proud.)
My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men.
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has wounds without a cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed up wine. Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in he cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: "They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
If you have problems (and everybody does), drugs and alcohol ARE NOT THE ANSWER. Addiction. It is a horrible, horrible thing. I live with a recovered addict and alcoholic. Many, many times I have asked him, "Did you really enjoy the hangovers? Did you know what you were saying?" The answers were always "no." The hangovers only made him want more to make it go away. He never intended to hurt our family, but he did. The drugs and alcohol always looked good. Tasted good. Felt good. But they always left him empty. It was a road that he never intended to go down, but he did.
No comments:
Post a Comment