30 principles to live by

Here are thirty principles to live by from Proverbs 22-24 . These are great guidelines, ‘truths that work’ (Proverbs 22:21). This is the abridged version!

1. Don’t take advantage of anyone, just because you think you’re better than them in some way
2. Don’t hang around with angry people
3. Don’t gamble
4. Don’t try to cheat anyone out of what is rightfully theirs
5. Watch and learn from people who are good at what they do
6. When you go out for a meal, don’t be greedy and mind your manners
7. Don’t exhaust yourself trying to get rich
8. Don’t accept an offer of a meal from a mean person – it will turn out miserable
9. Don’t try and talk sense to an idiot
10. Don’t try to cheat anyone out of what is rightfully theirs. This must be important as it’s a repeat of no.4
11. Embrace learning and discipline
12. Don’t be afraid to tell your children off
13. Raise wise children
14. Don’t envy careless rebels
15. Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk; don’t eat too much food and get fat. It’s there.
16. Listen to and learn from your parents
17. Stay away from seducers
18. Avoid getting drunk and all of its inevitable consequences
19. Don’t be tempted to spend time with troublemakers
20. Use wisdom and common sense when choosing and furnishing a house
21. Don’t think that physical strength is any substitute for wisdom
22. Engage in wise conversation
23. Don’t get taken in by a troublemaker. It never ends well.
24. Don’t fall to pieces in a crisis
25. Help those in need. Don’t look the other way.
26. Eat honey. And Haribo (it’s there – ‘delicacies that melt in your mouth’). And wisdom and knowledge.
27. Don’t interfere with good people’s lives and try and trip them up
28. Don’t laugh when your enemy falls. Or fails.
29. Don’t bother with bigheads
30. Respect God and your leaders. Don’t be defiant.

It’s amazing, isn’t it, that this list was written over two thousand years ago? And yet it is so relevant and wise for today. Much has changed but basic human nature has not. God’s wisdom is as relevant and practical today as it has always been. It blows my mind.

So why don’t you have another look through the list and pick out the two or three that really stand out for you? Try and let them sink in throughout the day. Allow them to guide you.