June 1
Special People
…we are fundamentally fulfilled by knowing Christ and we are very important to our eternal Creator.
1 Peter 2
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Identity is very important. There are several basic “psychological “needs we all have: to be important to others, to do something worthwhile, to love others, and to be a part of something that has long term consequences. These are all addressed in these words of prompt from Peter to the believer. They are words that remind us that we are fundamentally fulfilled by knowing Christ and we are very important to our eternal Creator. What is better than knowing this? There is no one who can grant us more status.
June 2
Pride is the core of all of our human problems.
Proverbs 13
10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.
We need another way to look at pride. It is not as foreboding as it used to be. People often say they “take pride.” They are proud to be, to do, or so think such and such a thing. People speak of their accomplishments with pride and seldom does anyone using the term cringe as if they have used a word needing a soap rinse. Perhaps we should make more use of the word gratitude.
Pride is the core of all of our human problems. A moment of counting from one to ten is very helpful exercise for any one of us when we are tempted to react. Listening to those who give us advice and extracting the essential truth from what they say is also a means of gleaning wisdom from the counsel of others. Whether the particular advice is target on is not necessary to receiving advice. We can receive the advice of others as an indicator that we should make some adjustments to our approach. The point is to avoid quarrelling. Listen, reflect and adjust is always helpful because we should assume others mean well when they take the risk to share their insights with us.
Proverbs 13
13 He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded.
June 3
Growing Wealthy
Thoughtful, moral and systematic action is always the better course.
Proverbs 13
11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Dishonest money is usually money that results from trying to get rich quick. Thus people will take short cuts which on their surface are not “dishonest.” However, when methods are compromised for expediency we end up cutting corners morally and in our haste to gain wealth we make fatal errors. Then we are left with trying to plug the leaks in our purses.
Some things cannot really be hastened and gains that are slow allow us to develop prudence. Thoughtful, moral and systematic action is always the better course.
June 4
Fulfilled Longing
…some never come to sit under the tree of life.
Proverbs 13
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Jan and I did something out of the ordinary recently. We took a drive north to a small town located in the mountains. This town is quaint and we have enjoyed visiting it many times. The difference is that we made the trip at 10:30 p.m. when the town is shut down. As we settled ourselves on a park bench and looked around the square a policeman came riding up on one of those two-wheeled electric chariots called “The Segue.” After we exchange a few pleasantries and the policeman satisfied himself that my wife was not a “grandma burglar” we began to talk about many subjects: his job, his family, the joy of being an expectant father, and local crime. Then sadness came over his face as he said, “We don’t have a lot of hard crime here but we do have a lot of suicides.”
He told us that in this beautiful mountain area that people would often come up to go out in some natural setting and kill themselves. He surmised they did it because they were depressed, had lost hope and didn’t want to leave the “physical mess” for their families to clean up.
“How many suicides happen up here?”
“We had two last month and that is pretty typical”, he replied.
For awhile we all sat quietly as we listened to the wind ruffling the new leaves. We heard only a feathery whisper and felt the spring air brush across our faces as it wafted tea-rose sweetness of new blossoms.
It is a poignant thing to think that in such a setting, teeming with new life, that hopelessness can overwhelm a soul. But, it can. What is worse is that Christ has fulfilled every fundamental longing and hope every one of us shares. Yet, some never come to sit under the tree of life. In most cases that hope was probably once offered and rejected by those lost souls who succumbed to hopelessness. In others, they never heard the message. Still others simply chose the empty values of this world.
As we drove away from our mountain town it was 12:00 p.m. Midnight comes for everyone but home looked good to us.
Proverbs 13
19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.
June 5
Right, Not Rite, of Passage
I was chosen by God the creator of the universe and that surpasses all rites of passage.
1 Peter 2
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
I don’t remember myself as being very popular growing up. I had friends but many of my classmates were all in the same boat, being intimidated by the Alpha figures in our school. Today they call those kids bullies and they were merely needy kids who got abused or saw abuse in their homes. Thus they brought their aggressions to school. To be accepted by them one had to fight them or stand up with bravado to their intimidations. I learned very early how to stand up to their bravado and secretly counted it a success of daily survival if I did not have to fight one of them every day of my elementary school years.
When it came to being accepted by one of these bullies who were physically aggressive we gentler ones had to measure up.
I still remember when we stood to have one of them take charge and choose up teams for our playground softball games. I can almost feel the satisfaction I had then to be “chosen” by one of them to be on his team. It is a feeling that one never forgets and is fundamental to our status as persons by other people.
The good that came out of this intimidation by the bully cult of kids was that it set me up for a life long commitment. I decided that if I ever had any power or authority I would use that authority to lift others up. And so I have lived that principle throughout my life because this one thing I know. I was chosen by God the creator of the universe and that surpasses all rites of passage. Thus when I read, “…but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy,” I am moved to tears. I hope you are, too. It settles all the questions of our individual importance.
Philippians 2
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5 You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
June 6
Application
Discipleship is the application of understanding. Anything short of that only compounds unfaithfulness.
Proverbs 13
15 Good understanding wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.
One thing we know. A photographic memory is wonderful but if one does not understand what one reads or memorizes they are merely performing a trick of the brain. It is one thing to know something and quite another to understand it. It is one thing to understand something and still another to apply it.
This proverb addresses understanding not knowledge. It addresses faithfulness to the good thing we understand and not merely parroting back what we have “learned.” Any good teacher or instructor looks for the student, no longs for such a one, who can put into practice what they are taught because instinctively they have grasped the meaning of what they have learned. A good education will prepare one for such a grasp and establish on in the principles that are embedded in whatever facts that are taught.
This is the issue we face as believers. Do we really understand what we read? Do we perceive the importance of what we have learned? Will we apply that understanding in any situation calling for that understanding? Discipleship is the application of understanding. Anything short of that only compounds unfaithfulness. This is the goal of every Christian: to know, to understand and to live out the commandments of God in Spirit and reality.
A PARTIAL QUOTE IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND
OH, THE COMPROMISES OF WHICH WE ARE CAPABLE! OH, THERATIONALIZATIONS WE CAN SPIN FOR EVERY DEGREE OF DEVIATION!
IN THE LAST DAY WE WILL “SEE!” THEN IT WILL BE, “OH THE GREATNESS OF THE MERCY OF OUR GOD!”
THESE WILL BE THE REASON FOR THE TEARS HE WILL WIPE FROM OUR EYES AND THE SORROW ERASEDFROM OUR HEARTS.
June 7
Falling Leaders
It is the rise and fall of authorities that confirms our faith in a divine Providence.
1 Peter 2
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
I have never been challenged by this scripture as I am now. I live in a free country that is being ruled by an oligarchy. It appears to me that we have too many elitists, too many self entitled ones, who think they know more than people of common sense. In this sense, I am challenged to be respectful and keep God’s perspective on what is good and what is evil. I must live by what is right, be actively engaged in serving God and man and be thankful for any portion of real justice I see at the hand of humankind.
The key of our text is simple. Uphold authorities. Undergird them. In a democratic society we must speak respectfully to civil authorities of their own deviations from what is good, true and substantive to a free way of life. No matter what men may do freedom is a matter of our perspective. Remember, when this was written there was a slave/servant class. There has always been one whether men hold others in bondage to their households, their businesses or through mortgages and debts. Though others enslave us they cannot take away what is important: our beliefs, our grasp of the true, our faith, and our God. They may damage but they cannot hold power over the soul. We take this for granted in times of liberty. We understand it in times of trial.
Another thought is vital here. The believer does not need the law to know how to live. By keeping the perfect law of liberty, love, they somehow find themselves walking the line of honoring the law’s intent. The law exists for the lawless. It is like a fence of safety, at best, which keeps the beasts from ravaging general society. It may not be a very pretty fence, a very good fence, actually exist at all or be used if it does exist. . However, the law provides the only framework for the authorities to use to arbitrate human affairs. If any given authorities abuse their office, fail to keep the law with justice, or otherwise uncover the rest of us they will then, in due time, stand before the Judge of judges. It is the rise and fall of authorities that confirms our faith in a divine Providence.
1 Peter 2
16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
What are we of a “free society” to do when men try to circumscribe our freedom? We are told simply to endure every injustice and in so doing we will deepen our appreciation for how Christ suffered for us. We may respectfully still resist. We may speak our minds and we may even use, in fact we must use, whatever power or voice we have to fight evil. At that time, we are to recognize that under the best of circumstances our battle is not against flesh and blood but against a far more sinister force seeking to obliterate whatever resists it. We have no sense of vengeance. We are to foster no hatred toward men but toward the evil men do. We are to act with compassionate firm evenhandedness. We may even lose our lives in this resistance, as did the early apostles[1], but we will in no means lose the war for human souls. We live not to defend ourselves but others when we live in the Spirit of Christ.
1 Peter 2
22"He (Jesus) committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
June 8
Bearing Up Under Indignity
…any understanding we have of the intent of our constitutional republic flowed directly from Christ’s teaching of human dignity.
1 Peter 2
18Slaves (workers, servants, underlings, common folk), submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
God sent his son in unendurable and cruel times of injustice and abuse of power and authority. That abuse existed in both religious institutions and governments. It was not even mitigated by the doctrine of free men or God given rights for liberty to pursue happiness and fortune. People were chattel and pawns for the lusts of rulers and the arguments that flow from human understanding of the gift of life from our Creator were in no way defined.
Into this world Jesus came to tell the rulers they were accountable to God and for that insult signed his own death warrant in order to set us free from the law of sin and death. He also set us free from other definitions of the law that cut into human liberty to decide how to worship, what to eat, where to live, how large to grow our families, educate ourselves, speak our minds and hearts or anything else a free society takes for granted. It was Jesus who defined the intent of the law governing life. Therefore, any understanding we have of the intent of our constitutional republic flowed directly from Christ’s teaching of human dignity. That concept may be borrowed and corrupted but it still comes from the fountain head of heaven.
Christians uphold governments to do what is right. When those governments fail in this respect, even punish men for doing right, they bear their burdens to God and suffer such indignities trusting God to turn human affairs that affect them to God’s good purpose. After all, they have Christ’s own vindication as their powerful example.
June 9
Prudence
A wise person gathers knowledge and then acts. The fool leaps and pays the price later.
Proverbs 13
16 Every prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.
“Understand before you leap!” Understand God’s word. Understand the facts. Understand the situation. Understand the players. Understand the plan. Understand the message. Understand the general welfare. Understand the why you act. Understand the consequences. These are all a part of prudency. A wise person gathers knowledge and then acts. The fool leaps and pays the price later.
June 10
Trusted Messengers
It is still better to not only “hear it from the horse mouth” but for the original horse to speak.
Proverbs 13
17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.
Be careful who you ask to speak for you. More than once we have heard the garbled, biased or false messages that have gone out from one we trusted with a word. It is still better to not only “hear it from the horse mouth” but for the original horse to speak. I personally regret I did not speak for myself more often in my dealings with others. There are several times in my memory when I learned that what others said of my words or intent were not remotely close to my own mind or heart.
When ever we can find an envoy that is truly empathetic with us they may be trusted because they will always deliver both the truth and the spirit of what we communicate. Hold on to such a one.
John 1
17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,[who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
June 11
Embracing Our Lessons
…it is better to pray that God will give us grace to embrace the lessons of life enthusiastically.
Proverbs 13
18 He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
I used to think that it was good to pray that God would give me grace to endure discipline. If, however, we believe scripture it is better to pray that God will give us grace to embrace the lessons of life enthusiastically. It is amazing how quickly the pain of discipline disappears the moment we accept it as a good thing. It does bring honor because from it we learn the great things that are hidden from most. It puts a shine on our faces and a spring in our steps. We find that the life which flows from discipline adds a quality to our natures that becomes obvious to others.
Prospering in God begins accepting discipline and with the right choice of our companions. These are the first tasks of the adolescent: to choose friends wisely, to seek out the counsel of the wise and to walk the paths they walk. When we find we have fallen in with someone whose actions bring harm upon us it is time to distance ourselves from their influence. That is the beginning of our discovery of identity and of becoming an influencer instead of a follower.
Proverbs 13
21 Misfortune pursues the sinner, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
June 12
True Legacy
While we need to understand God’s intent is to bless us materially relative to the culture, it is better to know that the prosperity of God extends into the intrinsic values of heaven.
Proverbs 13
22 A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.
This is one of those proverbs which we have to put in the context of the times of stability. It is clear that many good people have not been able to leave an inheritance to their families because of many factors of the times, circumstance or in the control of evil men. Such unstable times are an exception to the proverb. However, it is important recognize the concept conveyed is true to the nature of God and righteousness.
A good man and woman do leave an inheritance to their children’s children through the legacy of character and virtue. If there is any real legacy it does not consist merely of things, money, and possessions. While we need to understand God’s intent is to bless us materially relative to the culture, it is better to know that the prosperity of God extends into the intrinsic values of heaven. This is true wealth that we leave a heritage of righteousness, peace (all needed for deep contentment) and joy.
Proverbs 13
23 A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away.
…
The following verse is related to the theme but an awkward translation. This is what it appears to mean in principle: The unrighteous have appetites that are satiable. The wicked, on the other hand, are driven by appetites that are never satisfied.
25 The righteous eat to their hearts' content, but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.
June 13
Discipline is a Rod
Discipline is carrying out the law with grace.
Proverbs 13
24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
We can debate the question of spanking until the lemmings climb the cliff but this text supports using the rod. However, when all is said and done some kind of firm, loving and final discipline is necessary when we raise the children we love. They must know they live in a world of boundaries and that there are boundaries for them too.
Why do boundaries exist? For safety! They protect others from us. They protect us from others. They define areas and behavior which may get us into serious trouble. They sensitize us to our own rampant tendencies to greed, lust and unbounded selfishness.
Any form of discipline may be practiced with one of two attitudes: anger or love. The attitude and motivation of the parent is the most important thing. When one disciplines with firmness and love they establish an attitude of empathy. The child understands that his actions hurt others. In fact, the heart of discipline is fostering understanding. The child properly disciplined will have received instruction, clarification and be able to repeat the reason for the discipline. Discipline is carrying out the law with grace.
The law is the school master of souls until we understand respect, danger, honor and love. When we have understood the law we hopefully learn to live by conscience and by grace. Any family that does not practice accountability will cripple the children of that household for life. Any culture without accountability is doomed to fail its citizens and make slaves of those, who are weakened by lack of discipline, to tyrants who are most probably petulant and capricious children themselves.
Philippians 4
The Mature Life
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
June 14
Proverbs 14
1 The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
This is a metaphorical proverb, I believe. It might happen rarely but I have only seen women tearing down literal houses on construction TV programs and usually they were tearing down someone else’s house. (No implication intended.)
After reading this proverb one must wonder what the seer had in mind. It appears that the seer does not mean a literal house but a household. He is distinguishing between what we mean by “home” and not a house.
What are the things that destroy rather than build up? It is probably the things that the writers of the epistles had in mind when they spoke of the demanding, perfectionistic, competitive aspects of our natures:
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. 16For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
Few of us realize that perfection is illusive in the matter of homemaking. While it is good to have order sometimes we create disorder by our demanding natures to achieve the perfect life. Such demands often create an intolerable situation for those around us. Furthermore, when we are driven to enforcement of the external we destroy those things that make a house a home where people can relax, work together and enjoy one another.
We must recognize that striving toward a legalistic perfection is driven by personal ambition and need for control. It is deadly in “house” building.
June 15
Right Fear
Those who have a sense of what is upright do fear God but such fear will translate into humility and never into hatred.
Proverbs 14
2 He whose walk is upright fears the LORD, but he whose ways are devious despises him.
I have seen people tremble with the mention of the name of Jesus. Their trembling is a sure sign for one of two things.
First, it may be because they are afraid of such familiarity. This is natural. After all, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and if we have such a fear we need to follow through and get past our reaction to Him. He is our Father in Heaven and He is Love. He would only want our fear to be a matter of awe, not terror that He would hurt us.
Second, a person may tremble before God because they are resisting the influence of God in their lives. They may even be under dark delusion or hostile. Such a person is closer to the Kingdom of God than they realize and need only to surrender to the gentle persuasion of our gracious Lord. Such surrender would elicit a flood of gratitude and outpouring of devotion, faith and worship such as they have never experienced.
Those who have a sense of what is upright do fear God but such fear will translate into humility and never into hatred. So, if you fear God that is good. If you despise Him you are in jeopardy and need to get help immediately. Above all, resist rebellion to his winsome persuasions. That would be foolhardy.
Proverbs 14
3 A fool's talk brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
1 Peter 4
1Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. 2As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. 4They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
Christ and Culture
The logic of Christianity was bound to bring the primitive church into conflict with Roman authorities - it was bound to happen - to understand the claims of King Jesus is to understand the threat to Caesar. ‘This is a reminder to us that the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Lordship of Christ is subversive to every empire and every regime and if we fail to see that we have been seduced by the regime." W H C Fields
June 16
Ox Power
If you have no good results for your labors you may not be well equipped. Equip yourself and you will get better results.
Proverbs 14
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.
The Bible is a spiritual book and therefore it is filled with common sense. This is one of those proverbs of immense common sense. If you have no good results for your labors you may not be well equipped. Equip yourself and you will get better results.
Any good business man knows that investment in good tools and aides is wise. In fact, this is the first task of a businessman: get a good location, equip yourself with the best tools to do a credible job, surround yourself with faithful, capable, laborers and take special care to appreciate and care for the means of your trade. After, “from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest.” If you prefer, get a tractor, get a computer, get whatever you need to work your particular “back forty.”
June 17
Slippery Slope of Deception
The fact is that when one starts down the road of deception it becomes easier to do so.
Proverbs 14
5 A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.
If you are ever on a jury remember this one! Once a witness lies they have compromised their testimony. Look shrewdly, listen carefully and be vigilant not to give the benefit of the doubt until you have thoroughly examined every detail of testimony. However we may feel about a witness, we must recognize that a truthful witness does not deceive and if that brush colors everyone in your presence then it is what it is. Deception may be forgivable but it also deadly and injurious to all affected.
The fact is that when one starts down the road of deception it becomes easier to do so. In time, the deceiver loses all connection with the truth.
June 18
Truth Comes to You
Truth is revealed to those who give up the pose of searching.
Proverbs 14
6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.
Have you every encountered one of those people who say they are open minded but have never been able to discover what is good and true morally or spiritually? Well they may be. They are as open as a garbage can into which they discard the very things that could give them a clear insight.
Truth is revealed to those who give up the pose of searching. After all, if we examine the testimony of such people we will find they have decided on any number of things and they only cover their resistance to truth to live by with “saying the jury is out.”
Jesus made things crystal clear. What he said is easily understood and examined. That means God’s word is essentially easy to comprehend. We can only accept or reject it. If we reject it we are likely to come off as fools which any child can unhinge. There is no middle ground with Jesus and someone who says they admire him and reject the cardinal teaching that He is the truth and the life are seriously troubled people with serious willfulness.
The bottom line is this. We do not search for truth. It is clearly in front of us if we are ready to see it. It is revealed to the simple, the child-like of spirit and is as available as that thing we call common sense.
Proverbs 14
7 Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.
9 Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright.
June 19
Lonely Walks
…we should not be too dismayed if other people do not adequately understand our sorrows or joys.
Proverbs 14
10 Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
This is a warning that we should not be too dismayed if other people do not adequately understand our sorrows or joys. While others who love us may find a degree of appreciation and give us encouragement we must walk alone, as the old spiritual says, “through that lonesome valley.” Be careful not to judge others when they don’t seem to “get it.” Empathy is the best any of us can give to another when they are in sorrow or a state of joy. Words are not necessary. Indeed, they will probably do nothing more than frustrate. Give a hug. Lend an ear. And, if you are on the receiving end of empathy, be grateful that someone even noticed. Accept their gift of themselves and move on. Determine you will develop more empathy yourself and learn the difficult task and art of being available to another.
1 Peter 4
7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
June 20
The Victory
We win because Jesus won for us.
Proverbs 14
11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
We need to be reminded, don’t we, when the righteous suffer? “We win! We win! I read it in the back of the book! We win!”[2]
The fact is, the book tells us over and over again that we win. We win because Jesus won for us. It is a theme repeated in verses, stories, prophecies and even whole books. The victory for doing right, trusting in God and giving of ourselves is always there as a reward which comes surely as day follows the night.
Proverbs 14
14 The faithless will be fully repaid for their ways, and the good man rewarded for his.
June 21
Joy
…there is a joy.
Proverbs 14
13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in grief.
What will it be like to live in a world where laughter exists and sadness does not? It is hardly possible to imagine a joy that has no contrast. Much of our laughter and joy comes because of things that give us relief from former grief. We think mishaps are funny precisely because we have done the things comedians and clowns do because they are us. Laughing at them is often a relief for our own pent up pain. Their irreverence for human pain allows us a forbidden laugh. Likewise, joy and grief switch places on our emotional pallet constantly. It is this play between pain and release which provides the contrast of absurdities and we respond accordingly.
I suggest that there is a joy which we seldom experience but with which many of us have been touched from time to time. It is the joy of the sublime. We see it occasionally when we may look on a scene that reflects purity, uncommon loveliness or exquisite uniqueness. I suspect it is like the joy of being in full God’s presence, or walking in the delights of His character, or gazing upon a scene that is unassailably secure. It is the joy of the ultimate encounter.
I suggest that there is a joy which we seldom experience but with which many of us have been touched from time to time. It is the joy of the sublime. We see it occasionally when we may look on a scene that reflects purity, uncommon loveliness or exquisite uniqueness. I suspect it is like the joy of being in the fullness God’s presence, or walking in the delights of His character, or gazing upon a scene that is unassailably secure. It is the joy of the ultimate encounter.
June 22
Believing Everything and Nothing
The Simple are those who should know better but choose not to. It represents those who are spiritually slothful.
Proverbs 14
15 A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps.
Simple, does not mean dumb or basically direct. It means undiscerning, naïve, without any concern for the meaning of personal actions. In effect, it refers to those who should know better but choose not to. It represents those who are spiritually slothful.
16 A wise man fears the LORD and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.
Don’t even go near it! That is the slogan of someone who has enough discernment to recognize a trap, a temptation or a deception. Only a fool would plunge forward and play with fire.
A Public Warning
(By the way, there is a new danger to us all. It is called a bottle bomb. Look it up on Snopes. There are “people” who leave plastic bottles in yards, public places and mailboxes. Such bottles will have a liquid similar to the color of a soft drink. When moved they explode very quickly and powerfully. One can be injured badly by such a bomb…be careful not hasty with this one.)
17 A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated.
This covers two personalities in a blow: the quick tempered and the crafty. One reacts. The other schemes. Both are trying to get at someone else. Both are trying to injure. Neither cunning nor rage are good or end in good results. They are opposite poles of the excite meter but they are both poor ways of living.
18 The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
If we want trouble we need only to go along without any caution. Do what feels right, they say. Who are they? They are the simple who inherit folly. The prudent can see a potential disaster and develop a keen discernment. They grow to be guides, teachers, mentors and consultants.
June 23
End of the Road
…there is a judgment – a final one – an end of the road – a place and time of reckoning – an ultimate judge – and a finish line where all running stops.
Proverbs 14
19 Evil men will bow down in the presence of the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
We really need to be reminded over and over again that there is a judgment – a final one – an end of the road – a place and time of reckoning – an ultimate judge – and a finish line where all running stops. This, however, is missed by a generation that has never been taught. If history offers any valued information it should teach us what values are worth repeating and which lead to destruction and even death. At the end, we will not be able to say we didn’t know when the scriptures and the stories of mankind all tell the same tale. We demand such stories because even our hearts tell us the same tale. The good must win out. The wicked must be punished.
When we try to ignore these facts we eventually find ourselves facing circumstances which raise the question once again. What is the question? Why do the wicked get away when they commit horrific evils? It is then that our god given sense of justice returns and we know then that common sense declares the justice of God.
June 24
Gold Beneath the Surface
…God measures the heart and judges the prideful who cannot see beneath the surface.
Proverbs 14
20 The poor are shunned even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.
The first of these proverbs is a reminder of fact. The poor are often shunned. The rich have friends. The second Proverb is a statement that is a declaration of consequences of despising the poor. It tells us unequivocally that those who are kind to the needy are blessed by God.
It may be a fact that we measure people by external appearances but God measures the heart and judges the prideful who cannot see beneath the surface of the external measures of rich and poor, the advantaged and disadvantaged or the worker and the rich man. The rewards of God’s blessing are better than the rewards of human approval.
The question is, “do we believe it?” Do not see that if the character of God is the measure of man that we all fall pretty much in the same situation, the same class, and have the same need for “standing.”
1 Peter 4
14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?"
19So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
June 25
Degrees of Disaster
The path of good is departed from by degrees.
Proverbs 14
22 Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
The path of good is departed from by degrees. One degree of deviation leads to other deviations until they all compound and lead us off course for good. It is possible to Pragmatic and believe that the ends justifies the means or that “it does not matter how we get there as long as we get there.” This is the way we usually depart from the path of righteousness. We rationalize.
However, there is a time when rationalization leads to a pattern of ignoring the righteous path. That, in turn, leads to an actual plotting of evil to accomplish whatever end we wish: good or bad. Then we are astray. However, from what are we astray? In this case, the proverb is implying we are far from God. We are sheep who have lost sight and concern for the Shepherd’s voice. We have no sense of needing him. We are lost and do not know it. And, this is the most common condition of those who are desensitized to God.
On the other hand, the text says that “those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.” If we give love we are closer to the Shepherd because God is love. If we seek good for ourselves and others we are in tune with the One who is the truth as well as the life. When we resist retaliation, hatred, immorality, perversions of commonly held virtues we are tuned to the voice of the Shepherd even if we have not drawn close to Him. There is more promise we will know Him when He makes Himself known
June 26
Crowning Achievement
If we are wealthy and wise our riches it will be a crown…
Proverbs 14
23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24 The wealth of the wise is their crown, but the folly of fools yields folly.
This proverb is not a profound commentary on godly living. It is just perceptive observation. Work hard and earn something! Talk alone does not produce anything. People who have wealth are probably wise. Fools tend to go nowhere because they act thoughtlessly. These are the fundamental lessons behind the commentary. However, for the spiritually inclined they raise questions:
What kind of hard work? Is it honest or dishonest? Is it smart and measured or frantic and inefficient? Is it all you do or do you take time to smell the roses? Does it employ others or is it done by the individual alone?
What of the profit? Is it money or something intangible? Is the profit worth it or did it take too much investment of energy that could have been spread around to other things? Is the profit going to be wasted or used effectively? Will the earner enjoy it or will it go to others: thieves, family, charities, causes, or the kingdom of God? Will the wealth we enjoy satisfy, fulfill us or be the ruin of us?
If we are wealthy and wise our riches it will be a crown because we will not only have wealth but that which a crown provides the king: a sense of authority, of security, of standing among others, a place of service, a purpose and a happy knowledge of have a meaningful responsibility.
What of the folly of fools? That is probably like a cage full of rats that are covered in honey and biting on one another. After all, folly is another name for madness, chaos and ruin.
June 27
Servant Leaders
Servant leadership is the distinctive understanding that Christ gave to the meaning of being in authority.
1 Peter 5
1To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: 2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock
The apostle Peter gives us a whole new and radical word on leadership that still has not fully taken root in the church. However, there are those leaders today in the church who get it! They are self effacing, committed to serving, to sacrificing and who are examples of giving. They are not mere authorities. Likewise, there are also occasional leaders in general societies who understand a leadership which serves and cares.
Servant leadership is the distinctive understanding that Christ gave to the meaning of being in authority. In the world’s cultures leaders have authority in order to get others to serve them. In the Kingdom of God authority is given so that one may serve the needs of others.
Too often leadership, any leadership, becomes a means of personal identity. Those who are in leadership roles use it to an occasion to advance their status, enlarge their fortunes and to promote their importance. How many leadership courses emphasize the servant role? How many times have you seen a servant leader? Well, such are the kind of leaders Jesus praised.
Servant leadership is the kind of leader the believers fostered in a culture which was one of lordship leadership. Lordship was the form of leadership practiced in the synagogue. It was the model of princes, the Romans, the clerical hierarchies and the governments of the world. However, Jesus upset that vision of leadership and wherever we see otherwise we should be wary.
Mark 9
33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
36He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
Luke 14
7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, 'Give this person your seat.' Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Phillipians 2
3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
June 28
Truth Sayers
Throughout history there have been those who have stood out against the tide to declare the truth.
Proverbs 14
25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful.
In an honorable or godly society people generally appreciate those who speak the truth because they know that truth is salvation from disaster and trouble. The prophets were truthful witnesses but were rejected by Israel to their own shame. Throughout history there have been those who have stood out against the tide to declare the truth. Many of them are martyrs. Many of them did not live to see the results of their warnings. Yet, history has shown them to be right and those who rejected them wrong. Why? Because their words would, and in some cases did, save lives.
Where are those bold enough to speak in any age? Who will declare warnings? Who will declare the gospel of Christ in the face of anti-Christian sentiment? Who will boldly stand up for what is right? These questions face our generation and the kind of times we will enjoy will depend upon how well we heard life saving messages.
Jesus came to save. However, he did not force himself on anyone. He merely called out, “He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:9) He sought to be winsome and capture their attention with stories. However, even this entertainment was not enough to break through the hardness of heart. It is wise to cultivate the art of listening. Who knows, a truthful witness may come by today
Matthew 13
10The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"
11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
June 29
Fear to Fulfillment
The fear of the Lord will not only deepen our worship but it will open the door, paradoxically, to a new sense of confidence.
Proverbs 14
26 He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death.
One of the greatest and most important themes of the Bible is the theme of the “fear of the Lord.” This is the beginning of discipleship. It is where we start on the path of wisdom because as the scriptures say, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psalm 111:10) Without a proper fear of God we are not likely to respect anyone whether it is a constituted authority, the law, or anything larger than ourselves.
The scary thing is that when people have nothing larger than themselves they are likely to grant themselves godlike qualities. In the extreme sense this is mental illness. In the more “normal” sense it is narcissism. In either case both types end up eventually actually believing they are invincible, all knowing, and able to leap tall buildings and all authorities with a “single bound.”
The Christian disciple will do well to pray for clarity on this issue. The fear of the Lord will not only deepen our worship but it will open the door, paradoxically, to a new sense of confidence. Why? It is because at last we will understand our limitations as a person and will lean on the empowering grace of God for our daily living. The fear of the Lord is really the beginning of our enjoyment of true freedom, true peace and true prosperity.
June 30
Authority to Serve
A good leader will remember that position is not to be traded for favors but used to serve.
Proverbs 14
28 A large population is a king's glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
Remember this one when you become a king, a queen, a politician, or a leader of any kind. Kings are made or broken by the way they serve the people. It is generally required that leaders keep in mind the interests of those they lead. When they do not they will find that the population will find ways to extract revenge or to fulfill their own desires while giving that leader minimal support.
Having travelled fairly extensively in formerly communist countries I had a chance to observe and hear about attitudes of the people. Eventually those totalitarian nations experience, as do any nations with a corrupt leadership, a breakdown of deference. In one country, for example, there was a shortage of light bulbs. During that time it was very difficult to find one public hallway that was properly lit. Why? The people took the light bulbs as fast as they were supplied in order to sell them or to use them personally.
It is a principle of leadership. When any “biggie” forgets those who made him a “biggie” the results can be catastrophic. It is never wise for an authority to take those under them for granted. Like Marie Antoinette they may discover people do not like to be told to “eat cake” when they do not have bread.
Any leader who serves and loves the people will be loved and supported by the people even when other leaders around them are jealous and scheming. A good leader will remember that position is not to be traded for favors but used to serve. The few who remember this will always enjoy the favor of the people who are always glad to follow such leaders.
[1] Paul appealed to Caesar as a citizen of Rome and fought his case in the courts. Peter and the other apostles continued to teach Christ even when commanded to cease doing so. At other times in history good men have taken up arms against malignant evils of authorities who abused their own rights to govern. Resisting evil does not mean we stop praying for authorities or even respecting the office when we cannot approve of our leaders or must resist the abuse. This delicate balance is possible only by faith in the God of love, mercy, grace, truth and justice.
[2] Words I remember from a song of the 60’s. de
