Welcome to the digital library for Pride of the Worm, the debut devotional book by Norm Sawyer first published in 2018. If you are exploring Norm’s writing or looking for practical spiritual insight, this page serves as a complete, resource to read the book’s articles online.
Pride of the Worm is a thoughtful collection of articles designed to help Christians find deep understanding, clarity, and victory in a fast-moving, uncertain world. At its heart, the book addresses the universal human challenge of overcoming pride, whether it manifests as arrogance or as a subtle struggle with low self-esteem. Norm shares how these inner hypocrisies can be gently transformed through the grace of God.
Rather than focusing on what is wrong with society, these writings offer actionable steps to align your daily life with faith, build healthier relationships with others, and improve your personal well-being.
To help you study and navigate these insights easily, the articles are organized into the book’s five core sections:
We invite you to dive in, read at your own pace, and grow in your faith journey. God bless you.
Proverbs 24:29 Do not say, “I’ll do to them as they have done to me; I’ll pay them back for what they did.” When it comes to getting even with someone who has hurt or betrayed our personal pride, feelings, or even injured our body, the...
Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. One thing you can always count on is change. Sometimes God asks us to do hard things. One of the hardest things He asks us to do is change. Change our minds on...
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. Michel de Montaigne said, "My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened." I was watching a documentary on the apocalyptic...
Proverbs 20:10 False weights and unequal measures—the LORD detests double standards of every kind. I heard the statement "Less than honest" being used to describe a person's character. I thought we are either honest or dishonest, but not less...
Proverbs 15:30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and a good report makes the bones healthy. There are a lot of voices and opinions out in the world ready to replace what God has sown in our hearts or said in His word. The question we...
Proverbs 3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. I was talking with my friend Scott about the lack of faith some of us have toward believing God for an impossible miracle as seen from our point of view. He...
Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death. I have a friend who has had a very hard two weeks. He was misdiagnosed with a brain tumor. By the end of the first week, neurology discovered it...
Proverbs 25:10 Lest the one who hears it put you to shame and your infamy will never go away. Infamy: the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed. The evil fame we are known for. ...
Proverbs 13:2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence. I heard Jesse Duplantis say, "Jesus did not explain the gospel, He proclaimed the gospel. Luke...
Proverbs 7:22 He goes after her straightway, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks. There have been some people who have walked with God for years and have taken a hard moral fall in this past year. These...
Proverbs 29:3 Whoso loves wisdom rejoices his father: but he that keeps company with harlots spends his substance. God gave a straight and forward commandment to mankind. Ex. 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. This eight word...
Proverbs 31:12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. Joel Osteen stated, "If we are not faithful in the desert, then how can we be trusted in the promise land?" A man's word is his bond is still a nice code to live by. Being faithful in...
Proverbs 16:24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. I'm sorry. I apologize. I was wrong. Please forgive me. These words are some of the hardest to say because the fallen human condition is,...
Proverbs 2:9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path. 1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should...
Proverbs 1:16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Mala in se is a term that signifies crime that is considered wrong in and of itself. The phrase is Latin and literally means wrong in itself or evil in itself. ...
Proverbs 21:8 A man is known by his actions. An evil man lives an evil life; a good man lives a godly life. I had three opportunities to sin yesterday and I passed by two of them. After I repented, I was so proud of my humility. As...
Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love its use will eat its fruit. The Greek dunamis is used 120 times in the New Testament. Loosely, the word refers to “strength, power, or ability.” It is the root...
Proverbs 12:20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy. Sam McGee's view on the negative side of social media might be said this way: "There are cruel things said on the world wide web, by the trolls who...
Proverbs 14:5 A faithful witness will not lie: but a false witness will utter lies. When your life starts to feel like a game of snakes and ladders, it is time to find the word of the Lord for the season you are in; rather than leaving your choices...
Proverbs 30:6 Don't add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. James 2:19 You believe that there is one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and tremble. There is a difference between...
Proverbs 22:1 A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. I found myself humming and signing an old chorus the other day while working on a project around the yard. ♪ ♬♩ What a lovely name,...
Proverbs 19:21 There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand. Definition of delusion: A delusion is a false belief that is based on an incorrect interpretation of reality....
Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou may be wise in thy latter end. "But we have always done it that way." This is often said when change is in progress and causing discomfort. Change is not always easy...
Proverbs 20:22 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you. Bob Marley said, "Before you start pointing fingers, make sure your hands are clean." Do you nurture...
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more unto the perfect day. The main purpose of Daylight Saving Time (called "Summer Time" in many places in the world) is to make better use of daylight. We change...
Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life. John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? The point of no return is normally a technical...
Proverbs 1:27 When your fear comes as desolation, and your destruction comes as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish comes upon you. Job 3:25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me. I am in my early...
Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. What gives us the ability to get up after a hard knockdown? Why are we so trusting in the love and power of the Holy Spirit within our lives? What is it about the...
Proverbs 11:18 The wicked works a deceitful work: but to him that sows righteousness shall be a sure reward. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Every new venture or area of life we have had to move forward in often seems difficult...
Proverbs 11:19 As righteousness tends to life: so he that pursues evil pursues it to his own death. Thanatophobia. The fear of death. This is one phobia we are all going to deal with. I am so grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus...
Proverbs 13:18 Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be honoured. We have all known the unsettling sensation of guilt and shame when we know we've done something wrong. But, oh, the blessing...
Proverbs 10:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaks frowardness. I read this sentence in a news article. "I never felt really healthy. The best I could feel was - not sick." I understood what...
Proverbs 8:1 Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? "I forgive you. Completely." This is the answer that should come from our lips, but most often these words do not make it past our mind because we are not ready to...
Proverbs 12:19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Artists work with different paints and mediums to reveal the mysteries of light. They try to obscure darkness with light and contrast,...
Proverbs 20:22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee. A couple of blogs ago I wrote Forgiving The Unforgivable. I got a lot of feedback and conversations within my circle of friends,...
Proverbs 20:20 Whoso curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness. Forgiving those who have betrayed or harmed us is hard and even harder is forgiving family members who have done the same. We read of a family betrayal that if...
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walks wisely, he shall be delivered. As the ship was tied up to dockside in Tangier, it became clear that we were not only miles...
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. At that moment when reading the word of the Lord and the word opens up to our souls and starts to sing a victory song, you know that you know that God has just spoken to...
Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit. Whenever I climb I am followed by a dog called "Ego." Friedrich Nietzsche. In 1980 I heard Julie Buchenauer say, "Don't let...
Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go. How is it that we will learn an angry man's ways if we hang out with the angry? It seems that we need some kind of immunisation shot against...
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. My pride is ruining my testimony because I want the grace of God in my life, but, I want God's judgment on my...
Proverbs 4:26 Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. I was looking at some of my wife's old home-movies that my father-in-law had made in the mid 1950's. There was a sense of optimism in the actions of...
Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right. I was talking with a young man who had been raised in a Christian family and had attended church most of his life. He had just now, in his adult...
Proverbs 25:21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink. Years ago when I was ministering in Australia an elderly missionary said to me, "Think of the person you...
Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. Our hopes and desires are fulfilled by our faith in God and His word. We know that faith is needed to please God. Heb....
Proverbs 25:16 Hast thou found honey? eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be filled therewith, and vomit it. I heard someone say, "Too much of a good thing will cause us to eventually lose interest and dislike whatever that...
Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. There is an ugliness about pride and it can look so ugly that it has a stench to it. As my uncle with a strong French accent says, "Pride is...
Proverbs 24:16 For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. The fear of failure is ingrained within us from the first day our loving parents said, "Be careful you don't fall." We might...