Proverbs 18:1-24
18:1 We are not meant to separate ourselves from others; it would be selfish to pursue our own agenda, exclusively. We are meant to share and help, love and laugh and discover with others.
18:2 A foolish person, instead of endeavoring to understand, simply lives to spew their own interpretation.
18:3 Harmful behavior causes contempt with others; and when an evil person is reproached, they are dishonored (the opposite of the glory they seek).
18:4 Though there is importance to one's garnered wisdom, the process of learning is constantly new and fresh.
18:5 We should not support corrupt endeavors, neither should we thwart just systems.
18:6-8 It is foolish and destructive to contribute to arguments or to create false stories. If we pollute the world with harmful intentions, we almost pollute our innermost selves.
18:9 Laziness is destructive: it causes us to lose good opportunities and relationships.
18:10-11 God is our strong tower. He is our place of refuge and source of protection. Yet only pride surrounds the corrupt man.
18:12 Arrogance causes the destruction of character; destruction causes humility in the arrogant. Before a person can be honorable, they must first be humble.
18:13 Be careful to watch and listen and consult with God before answering a matter or discerning a truth. To be uninformed is to be ill-equipped to be involved.
18:14 The quality and health of our soul is our first priority. For a weak body can have a strong soul, but a strong body is useless to a weak soul. God nourishes the very essence of who we are, the way that no material or earthly thing ever could.
18:15 It is prudent to acquire knowledge. It is wise to seek knowledge. Proverbs encourages us not just to learn when we realize an opportunity but also to seek knowledge! That is: to seek opportunities for growth, complex understanding and broader perspective.
18:16 God distributed to each of us gifts. And when we go out into the world, among humanity, using our God-given gifts for good, it takes us to great places. Our gifts from God come with important opportunities.
18:17 Listen to all sides before developing a stance (it's too easy to believe the first thing we hear).
18:18 We do not "cast lots" anymore. We now have God's word to tell us what is right and wrong.
18:19 Seek and work for peace between yourself and others; contention is a difficult wall to break down between others well allowed to fester.
18:20 God has developed a system: what we produce, we receive. To project kindness and righteousness is to nourish our own souls. The production of hard work and good fruits causes us health and contentment, soul-deep. What we take in also matters, so we must ensure that we take our fill of God's word rather than of material things or the objects of our temptation. We must be careful not to take in too much of what the secular world values.
18:21 God has given us free will. We choose life or death through our actions. The righteous inherit live even beyond life as we know it now. But the evil choose complete non-existence.
18:22 God blesses righteous, loyal, compassionate unions between people.
18:23 This is a lesson in discernment. A needy person is likely to be kind; they need something, and their kindness may or may not be sincere. Often however, a humble person learns the value of kindness because of their situation. However a rich person may answer roughly because they have little understanding of what it is like to lack and to need.
18:24 There are different levels of friends. Some friendships go beyond friendliness to love, platonic love and solidarity!
