It is easy to look at poor people and blame them for 'being too lazy' or 'on drugs.'  Sometimes that is no doubt true.  But we don’t necessarily know that.  We don’t know how lack of educational opportunities, racial inequalities, generational poverty and many other factors may be contributing to their situation.

Solomon, of course, knows nothing of football.  In his world, as king of Israel most of the work that he accomplishes is with his mouth.  When he as King utters a decree, it becomes law.  As King, his words matter.  The King’s words have the power of life and death.  In some ways, the King’s authority is exercised by his words, they are powerful and effective.  In some ways, they are very similar to God’s Word, which the Bible also says is powerful and effective.  In Genesis 1 God speaks His word and the heavens and earth are formed.

How you live your life and how faithfully you teach your children will have a major influence on them.  Proverbs 22:6 says that we should “train up a child in the way he (she) should go”.  Should is a word that contains judgment.  You need to decide what is right and wrong in God’s word and you need to train your child to adopt those same values. 

The word, sloth or slothful means lazy or indolent.  The slothful person fails to engage life in a meaningful way.  They are essentially withholding energy or effort to do the things that need to be done.  Proverbs 19:15 points out this truth about the danger of sloth: “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” 

Background. Several years ago I did my Master’s Degree capstone project on Gratitude. When I gave my presentation I used a painting that was very meaningful to me and said:” I wake up each day with a smile, I have so much to be thankful for.” For years that small painting was next to my bed and was the first thing I saw when I woke up each morning.

Proverbs 18:22 ”He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”  I cannot resist taking the opportunity to think with you about how important this is.  

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Throughout his ministry, Jesus uses the language of flourishing as well.  He says things like “I have come that they might have abundant life.” (John 10:10). That is the language of flourishing. 

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It’s important to be gifted, to use your gifts and talents to serve in the Church and to serve God in the world, but as important as those gifts are, they are not the ultimate or final good, they are penultimate or next to last good. 

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Reading through 1 Corinthians 13 Paul is giving us concrete examples of what It means to love.  He’s building this message into a kind of crescendo.  Like a great symphony or chorale masterwork, the various themes of the story build on themselves…

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          For Paul, true love does not root for the villain or the anti-hero.  True love does not rejoice that evil is victorious.  True love finds its joy in the truth that is consistent with God and God’s love.

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