June 3, 2026 -- Proverbs 12:5 -- What's your cover? Your inside?

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
Proverbs 12:5 ESV
 
You can’t judge a book by its cover, you know that old familiar saying, right? The outside of the book may not give you the real sense of the book itself, what it is about. That is comparable to the inner life of any person. Whatever is inside a person, whatever governs his thought-life and motivates his actions, is beyond you. Only after you’ve observed a man over days and weeks and maybe months, will his true character shine out.
 
The thoughts of the righteous will be expressed in all areas of life. How does the man interact with authority, especially when the actions of that authority are unjust? Will he be a man of integrity? How does the righteous man handle his money, treat his friends, speak of his God? Over the course of time, as you read the man’s actions (to use the metaphor of a book and its cover) you begin to know the man’s inner life.
 
The wicked are deceitful. What is promised doesn’t necessarily come to fruition. What is given with one hand is taken by the other. The fullest extent of one’s wickedness is discovered in one’s relationship to God and his relationship to the people of God. Does the person have the appearance of goodness or virtue, but does in fact dishonor God by his words or by the evidence that his allegiance truly is self-ward instead of God-honoring?
 
Praise God that all our righteousness is found in Jesus. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you realize there is deceit in you, or you discover ways in which you’ve been doubling down, instead of confessing your wrongdoing, confess it. Our Father in heaven welcomes those who are humble of heart and shows mercy to those who confess their sins. Let the Spirit of God direct you in this.
 
O God, my Father, in Christ You have called sinners to repentance. In Christ You have sought out lost sheep who have wandered from the thoughts of righteousness and the path of just actions. By the work of Your Spirit in me, give me the courage to confess my sin and the strength to renew my walk in faithfulness. Amen.
 
Casting Crowns - Jesus, Friend of Sinners

 

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