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I love Proverbs. Its one of my favorite books of the Bible. Its filled with good advice and practical life applications... plus its easy to read (a plus for me!)
Now... on to today's verse....
If the first thing you see in this verse is women vs men then you miss one of the biggest points about the scripture. It's not a gender. Its about character.
Gracious vs Ruthless
Lets think of it like this...
A gracious 'person' gets respect.
What does Gracious mean? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary , gracious means:
1 obsolete: godly
archaic: pleasing, acceptable
2. marked by kindness and courtesy <a gracious host> b: graceful c: marked by tact and delicacy : urbane d: characterized by charm, good taste, generosity of spirit, and the tasteful leisure of wealth and good breeding <gracious living>
3merciful, compassionate —used conventionally of royalty and high nobility
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Basically, gracious means a kind, courteous person. So a kind, nice, courteous person who thinks of others is respected....
By contrast, a ruthless 'person' ONLY gains wealth.
ONLY
Respect is held WAY above Wealth here.
That's hard for our 'celebrity' crazy society to grasp.
'Fear' of the wealthy (ie what some billionaires demand) is not REAL respect. TRUE respect comes from a sincere, genuine, God-loving, Gracious heart.
Weath is only wealth. It can come and go. But respect... respect is something that should be cherished.
I want to do my best to have a gracious spirit... not a ruthless one. A giving spirit... not a greedy one. How about you?
God bless you today!
Kelly