OUR DAILY BREAD : THE TWO BEARS

[cimi]

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12


THE TWO BEARS

READ:
PROVERBS 13:10
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Where there is
strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is
found in those who
take advice.
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Some years ago, my wife, Carolyn, and I spent a few days camping on the flanks of Mount Rainier in Washington State. When we were returning to our campsite one evening, we saw in the middle of a meadow two male bears boxing each other's ears. We stopped to watch.

There was a hiker nearby, and I asked him what the conflict was about. "A young female," he said.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Oh, she left about 20 minutes ago," he chuckled. Thus, I gathered, the conflict at this point was not about the female bear but about being the toughest bear.

Most fights aren't about policy and principle, or about right and wrong; they're almost always about pride. The wise man of Proverbs swings his axe at the root of the problem when he writes: "Pride leads to conflict" (13:10 NLT). Quarrels are fueled by pride, by needing to be right, by wanting our way, or by defending our turf or our egos.

On the other side, wisdom resides with the well-advised-those who listen and learn, those who allow themselves to be instructed. There is wisdom in those who humble themselves-those who set aside their own selfish ambition; who acknowledge the limits of their own understanding; who listen to the other person's point of view; who allow their own ideas to be corrected. This is the wisdom form God that spreads peace wherever it goes. ____David Roper

**Dear heavenly Father, help me as I battle pride today. It's so easy to take
my eyes off You and focus on myself. Give me a humble heart.
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Humility brings wisdom.

***************************Today's Bible Reading Proverbs 13:10-20*****************************
10 Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is
found in those who take advice.

11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever
gathers money little by little makes it grow.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled
is a tree of life.

13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it but whoever
respects a command is rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a
person from the snares of death.

15 Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful
leads to their destruction.

16 All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose
their folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy
envoy brings healing.

18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and
shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.

19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest
turning from evil

20 Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of
fools suffers harm.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
The book of Proverbs is often quoted for its
practical and down-to-earth advice for living. However, the pithy
sayings that the book is noted for are not the only part of the book.
Several entire chapters are dedicated to the virtue of wisdom and
how important it is to everyday life. Wisdom is more than quick wit;
it is living life in pursuit of God and His plans for us. __J.R. Hudberg