Attractive And Captivating

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise" (Proverbs 11:30).

This passage is not about an evangelist that is winning souls for God. The idea of capturing souls is about attraction to a wise and fruitful life. The person who lives their life wisely and righteously is the person who brings life to those around them. That's the kind of life that is attractive and captivating. This passage describes the life of the righteous as so attractive that it can be seen as life giving to those around them.

This passage helps us better understand the flourishing "green leaf" of Proverbs 11:28 in contrast to the fool who brings trouble to his family in Proverbs 11:29. One life is all about giving while the other is about taking. One life is a "tree of life" and the other is a tree of death.

Are we living our lives in such a way as to be attracting others to wisdom? Are our lives captivating in the sense that the result (fruit) is life giving to those around us? I pray that becomes our goal in life. I pray that our lives are marked by words such as "righteous," "life," "captivating," and "wise." Only then will we truly be fruitful and flourishing.