This morning, along with a cup’s worth of coffee sips, I’ve had some sips from Proverbs 11.

Until recently, I never considered drinking coffee a source of pleasure for me. Now I must exercise my will to limit my intake lest I become hooked on coffee and lest too much sugar and caffeine cause me physical harm.

I want Scripture reading and meditation to be a source of pleasure for me. And that I needn’t limit to a cup or two per day. It’s OK if I become hooked on Scripture consumption. It’s contents will do me no harm.

So many things in today’s passage! But let me keep these sips here few and brief….

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (2).

Day before yesterday I commented on asking for wisdom as a means of getting wisdom. That makes sense enough. But we could also ask for lowliness as a means of getting wisdom. Frankly, I haven’t much experience with that. I have more experience with the first part of the verse. I know pride; I know shame. God help me!

“The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead” (8).

This morning I am so blessed (and encouraged to some degree as well) by the use of the preposition out of. It could have said from, which would be terrific in its own right.

As you know, it is far easier to avoid trouble in the first place than it is to extricate oneself from trouble gotten into. But even when I’m in trouble, the Lord promises to deliver me out of it.

I needed that this morning.

(By the way, what do we — as in I and you — contribute to our communities?)