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Read Proverbs 29:7

Is intolerance one of your daily grinds? Be honest. Do you have difficulty leaving room for opinions you don’t agree with or the conduct of those who fail to measure up? I can think of a number of ways intolerance rears its head:

Read Proverbs 24:11–12

The founders of the United States formed this nation on the premise that each individual will one day stand before God and give an answer for his or her beliefs and conduct. The US was in fact the first modern state to establish an official policy of religious tolerance, which it formalized in the First Amendment to the Constitution:

Read Proverbs 19:11

Read Proverbs 16:2–3

He does according to His will in the host of heavenAnd among the inhabitants of earth;And no one can ward off His handOr say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:35)

Read Proverbs 19:21

King Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed the kind of power and privilege no single human had ever experienced. He built an empire that eventually swallowed two other great civilizations, Assyria and Egypt. At the time, no one man controlled more of the world than he. According to the man’s written testimony, Nebuchadnezzar became intoxicated by his own wealth and power. His position as the most powerful man on earth gave him a skewed perspective on life and the world.

Read Proverbs 21:1

Some people find the concept of God’s ultimate and complete sovereignty a little unsettling. Let’s face it, we like our autonomy; we find comfort in calling our own shots. Even so, the wise men of Israel, writing under the direction of the Holy Spirit, affirmed God’s ultimate authority to administer the world as He sees fit and regardless of human will:

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD;He turns it wherever He wishes. (21:1)

Read Proverbs 10:3, 29

Since our generation so admires human ingenuity and worldly wisdom, we tend to give people praise that only God deserves.

A battle is won—and we hang medals on veterans.A degree is earned—and we applaud the graduates.A sum of money is donated—and we engrave contributors’ names on a plaque.An organization stays in the black through hard times—and we grant the CEO a bonus.A writer or scientist makes an outstanding contribution—and we award the Pulitzer or a Nobel prize.A sermon meets numerous needs—and we praise the preacher.

Read Proverbs 9:10–11

At first glance this list of Old Testament proverbs may appear like a hodgepodge of random thoughts. A closer look, however, reveals a common theme we tend to overlook or ignore, and that is the theme of God’s absolute sovereignty over His creation. By sovereignty, I mean God’s right as the King of the universe to rule as He sees fit—without question, limitation, accountability, or resistance.

Read Proverbs 22:17–18

Read Proverbs 7:2–3

Solomon recognized a tragic truth about humanity: we desperately want to do things our own way, and we hate being told what to do. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6 NIV 1984). So Solomon urged his sons to avoid mistakes he had made, encouraging them to heed God’s Word and to make obedience a lifelong habit.

Keep my commandments and live,And my teaching as the apple of your eye.Bind them on your fingers;Write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 7:2–3)