Martin Luther wrote that the three necessary conversions are of the heart, mind and the purse. In Proverbs 11, we examine four ingredients–humble integrity, positive speech, edifying ministry and abundant generosity– that lead to prosperous outcomes in a family, church, organization or city.
Humble Integrity
The foundation for success and positive outcomes is humility and integrity.
Character for Positive Direction:
1. Accurate weights delight God
2. Humility leads to wisdom
3. Integrity guides upright
4. Delivered from death, trouble and knowledge
5. Result is straight path
Humility and integrity delivers you from trouble to make your paths straight.
The pathway for failure and negative outcomes is pride and falseness.
Character for Negative Direction:
1. False balance
2. Pride causes dishonor
3. Falseness destroys them
4. Riches do not profit in day of wrath
5. Fall by wickedness
6. Caught by own greed
7. Hope of strong men perishes at death (Prov. 11:1-9)
Pride and falseness destroys you through greed.
Positive Speech
Integrity in one’s heart causes positive speech and success in a family, church, organization or city.
Ingredients for Positive Speech:
1. City rejoices when it goes well
2. Glad shouting when wicked perish
3. City exalted by blessing of upright
4. Keeps silent and understanding
5. Conceals a matter and trustworthy
6. Deliverance with abundance of counselors
A city rejoices and is delivered by righteous and trustworthy counselors.
Falseness and bad speech cause failure in a family, church, organization or city.
Ingredients for Negative Speech:
1. Torn down by mouth of wicked
2. Destroys neighbor with tongue (Prov. 11:9a)
3. Despises neighbor and lacks sense
4. Reveals secrets as a talebearer
5. Falls with no guidance (Prov. 11:10-14)
A city is torn down and destroyed by gossip and a wicked tongue.
Edifying Ministry
Integrity and good speech create an edifying ministry to others.
Character of Ministry to Edify Others:
1. Hate surety to remain safe
2. Gracious attains honor
3. Merciful does good to his soul
4. Sows righteousness gets a true reward
5. Steadfastness attain to life
6. Blameless in their walk delivers descendants
7. Good desires
Gracious and merciful people who sow righteousness attain life.
Evil causes death in others.
Character of Ministry to Destroy Others:
1. Surety for stranger will suffer
2. Violence attains riches
3. Cruelty troubles his flesh
4. Earns deceptive wages
5. Pursues evil brings death
6. Perverse in heart will be punished
7. Lacks taste
8. Expectation is wrath (Prov. 11: 15-23)
Evil and perverse people who earn deceptive wages experience death.
Abundant Generosity
Integrity, good speech and edifying ministry create positive outcomes of generosity.
Description of Prosperous Outcomes:
1. Scatters to increase even more
2. Generosity leads to prosperity and needs satisfied
3. Blessing on him who sells resources
4. Seeks good to find favor
5. Flourishes like green leaf
6. Fruit is tree of life
7. Wins souls
8. Rewarded in the earth
Generous people find favor, life and reward.
Evil and isolation create negative outcomes of need and want.
Description of Negative Outcomes:
1. Withholding what is due results in want
2. Withholding resources results in people cursing
3. Searches after evil will come to him
4. Trusting riches will fall
5. Troubles’ own house inherits wind
6. Servant to wisehearted (Prov. 11:24-31)
Stingy people and those who trust in riches experience want.
Ask God to empower you toward humble integrity, positive speech, edifying ministry and abundant generosity so your family, church, company and city can experience a prosperous outcome.
