Proverbs 29 - Key

v1

He, that being often reproved hardeneth [his] neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Sometimes it's easy to get used to criticism for something, because people talk to us about it all the time. Then we start ignoring it, because we think we aren't really doing anything wrong.

If people reprimand us for a certain thing very often, we better make awfully sure we aren't actually at fault in that thing. We shouldn't just casually brushing it off all the time. If we were warned so many times, and the warnings end up being right, we're going to be in big trouble.

1 Corinthians 10:12

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Application

v22

An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.

If I'm an angry person, I'll be guilty of stirring up strife and doing all kinds of bad things. It's tempting to think that it harmless to get angry for a good reason, or when other people seem to be doing a lot worse things wrong.

In some situations it's very difficult (and sometimes seems impossible), to keep from getting angry-- like when people we really care about are doing dumb and bad stuff, or mistreating us; Or when we feel desperate and trapped in an overwhelming situation.

We need to keep our cool anyway. Because, if other people have problems, that's their problem; but, if we respond the wrong way, then that becomes our problem. The Lord does make it possible for us to maintain a level head in all those situations.

1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

I don't really think I have very much of a problem with this right now... But my application from Proverbs 29:22 is to make sure I'm not being an angry person, in order to make sure I'm not stirring up strife.