Proverbs 11

Everything comes down to details. A merchant's dishonest scale. Just one detail in a complex life. But what is that person doing? Why has he opted to live the scheming life? How is that detail an important part of a larger story of forgetting the fear of the Lord?

God finds us out. If we are willing to be found by Him, we can have more than shame. We can move on to humility, and with humility we can grow in knowing God and serving others. When the Son of God came to save us, He came in the power of humility.

Christ gives us hope for a life beyond bad character. The Holy Spirit is bringing a new life to thousands and enabling millions and millions to experience daily growth in that heavenly life. The self-righteous man misses out on the joy of repentance and spiritual progress. Even so, God can change anyone by His love. Witness Saul of Tarsus!

God's love for sinners does not make unrighteousness OK with Him. There is a brash rejection of the Lord and His commandments that is unacceptable to the Lord and destructive of a society. But Jesus' answer to that is not the loud self-confidence of Pharisaic religion, but the quiet faith and obedience that comes from the cross. In His righteousness we have been counted as righteous, and by the power of the Spirit we pursue the way of holiness that He has appointed for His people with gentleness and self-control.

This life of faith, hope, and love is not only an individual pursuit. We follow Christ together, and we bear our neighbors' burdens. True righteousness that flows from the wounds of the Messiah will change the way we listen and speak to one another. It will have something to teach us about commerce within a city and about the efforts a more seasoned woman makes in befriending a new mother. True love will confront deceit and violence. It will rescue the desperate. It will change a person's outward appearance and yield discretion that increasingly forms a new inner beauty within a young girl.

Most of all, the love of Jesus creates a generous society of faithful followers. Those who find their life in Him will grow in good will, even toward their enemies. They will give and forgive. They will receive love from the Lord and pass it on. They will not use a dishonest scale when measuring out goods to their customers.

Jesus has secured a wonderful inheritance for everyone in His household. He has become a tree of life to all who will take refuge in Him. We worship Him together and find not only hope for the life to come, but life and blessing right now, even though we face trials. The Wisdom of God is living within us and among us. We have been taken captive by the Lover of our souls.