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E X P E R I E N C E TH E W I S D O M O F P R OVE R B S
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R EADI NG 11
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people
puddles
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Proverbs 11
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Know before You Go
Proverbs 11 shows how our
actions directly influence the
people around us.
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Good character is the best insurance;
crooks get trapped in their sinful lust.
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When the wicked die, that’s it—
the story’s over, end of hope.
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A good person is saved from much trouble;
a bad person runs straight into it.
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The loose tongue of the godless spreads destruction;
the common sense of the godly preserves them.
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When it goes well for good people, the whole town cheers;
when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates.
When right-living people bless the city, it flourishes;
evil talk turns it into a ghost town in no time.
Read the Passage
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God hates cheating in the marketplace;
he loves it when business is aboveboard.
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The stuck-up fall flat on their faces,
but down-to-earth people stand firm.
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The integrity of the honest keeps them on track;
the deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin.
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A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart,
but a principled life can stand up to the worst.
E X P E R I E N C E TH E W I S D O M O F P R OVE R B S
Moral character makes for smooth traveling;
an evil life is a hard life.
Mean-spirited slander is heartless;
quiet discretion accompanies good sense.
A gadabout gossip can’t be trusted with a secret,
but someone of integrity won’t violate a confidence.
Without good direction, people lose their way;
the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.
The one who seeks good finds delight;
the student of evil becomes evil.
A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump;
a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.
Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air;
common sense tells you it’s a stupid way to live.
A good life is a fruit-bearing tree;
a violent life destroys souls.
If good people barely make it,
what’s in store for the bad!
After the Passage
Have you ever thrown a rock into a still pond? The rock hits the water and sends
ripples across the surface of the pond. The farther away they get from where the
stone entered the water, the larger they get. The entire pond is changed, even if just
for a moment, as a result of one stone entering the water. Similarly, our actions—wise
or unwise—impact the world around us.
So much of the advice found in the book of Proverbs is intended to protect us from
the results of foolish choices. In Proverbs 11, however, the emphasis is less on our personal well-being and more on the impact our choices have on others. We can almost
hear Solomon say, “Have you stopped to consider how your actions will affect the
people around you?” Our choices, wise or foolish, ripple beyond us to our immediate
families and even to our communities and nations. This is another reason to prioritize
wisdom—not simply for our own sake but for the sake of others.
Whoever makes deals with strangers is sure to get burned;
if you keep a cool head, you’ll avoid rash bargains.
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P R OVE R B S 11
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P R OVE R B S 11
E X P E R I E N C E TH E W I S D O M O F P R OVE R B S
Look at the puddle below to see how far our choices can reach.
EXPERIENCE
Takeaway and Pray
Think of a significant choice you’ve made recently. What was the impact of the choice?
What might the impact have been if you had chosen differently?
My takeaway from this experience is
T H E I M PA C T O F
MY CHOICE
T H E I M PA C T O F
A DI FFER E NT CHOICE
on your family
on your family
My prayer today is a
S E LF
(11:3)
FA M I LY A N D
LO V E D O N E S
(11:29)
FR I E N DS
(11:12-13)
COM M U N ITY
(11:10-11)
ALL
P EOP LE
(11:14)
on your friends
on your friends
on strangers
on strangers
on your neighborhood or community
on your neighborhood or community
___ R E Q U E S T ___ C O N F E S S I O N ___ P R A I S E
The Bottom Line
Our actions have ripple effects beyond what we may ever know.
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