June 11, 2024

Proverbs 22.2 (NIV)

Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the maker of them all.

“First Class” may get you a better seat, but you still arrive at the same destination.*

Before discussing what the rich and poor have in common, let’s talk about their differences. The rich have wealth and power, the poor do not. The rich may have gained their wealth and power through their intelligence, their hard work, good luck, or a life of crime, or through some combination of these methods. The poor have arrived at their sad state through foolishness, unwillingness to work hard, bad luck, or because they were victimized by another, or some combination of these.

 

What the rich and poor have in common is that we all have the same creator; we all are sinful; and we all die. Whether we lead our lives with lots of money or none, we all came from the same place. There may be social differences among people but we all have the same rights and “mutual obligations of respect and kindness.”* We all are guilty “at the bar of God’s justice.”* The rich will not be judged by a different standard than the poor.

 

Paul points out something else that we have in common, no matter what our station in life: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3.28) I think that covers rich and poor, too!

Jesus didn’t just go looking for poor, disenfranchised people to hang out with. He didn’t come to include the outcasts and exclude the “in crowd,” and he didn’t come to help the poor at the expense of the rich.*

June 10, 2024

Proverbs 22.1 (NIV)

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Death terminates all wealth.*

We have heard of people who have “made a name for themselves.” Generally, it implies something good and positive. God’s name represents who and what he is, and ours should, too.*

Anyone who prefers riches to a good reputation is being short-sighted. We can do good works with our riches but a good name gives us influence and glorifies God. Wealth, as someone pointed out, brings stress, exposes us to danger, and adds no value to the person.*

Paul’s list of qualifications for elders did not include the requirement that one had to be rich, but he did insist that the candidate for the position have a good reputation with outsiders. (I Timothy 3.7) In Luke 2.52, we read that Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and men. If it’s important for Jesus to enjoy a good reputation, it’s important for us.

 

A final word of caution: while a good name is desirable and to be sought after, we are not guaranteed that people will speak well of us. After all, “Jesus didn’t instruct us to go into the world and create a positive image,”* he told us to go into the world and preach the gospel.

If the world responded as it did to the life and teaching of Jesus, then we shouldn’t be surprised or discouraged when we fail.*

June 9, 2024

Proverbs 19.21 (NIV)
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

My schemes have been the planning of fools, assuming my way is better than God’s.*

We have to make plans sometimes. Today, I planned to keep my appointments with the podiatrist and the hairdresser. Tomorrow, I plan to deliver Meals on Wheels in the morning and get a mammogram in the afternoon. Planning doesn’t come natural to me but because I crave order, I have learned to plan. It was necessary for my job and I actually came to enjoy the process. I found that even when things didn’t go according to the plan, I was in a better position to wing it from there.

In my personal life, making appointments is one thing; looking ahead to the future is another. When my plans go awry, so do I. I have learned that it’s better for my mental health if I don’t make plans. As it turns out, Solomon seems to believe as I do - that it is better to be flexible and let the Lord’s purpose prevail.

In James 4.13-15, we read, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow . . . Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” It is when we make plans outside the Lord’s will that we get into trouble. Before we get too carried away with elaborate schemes for the future, we should stop and ask for God’s direction and blessing.

How many times have you manipulated and schemed to make something happen when God’s blessing was not on it? How satisfying was the experience? 

What should we desire, but that all our purposes may agree with God's holy will?*

June 8, 2024

Proverbs 18.13 (NIV)
He who answers before listening – that is his folly and his shame.

Listen twice as much as you speak.*

In his Proverbs, Solomon has provided us with some words to live by. The words of this one could easily have been penned by a secular writer. There are lots of wise sayings out there that can help us lead better lives.

Listening before we answer can save us from stupidity and shame – and rudeness. According to Emily Post, “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.” Are good manners a spiritual discipline? Perhaps they are, in light of Philippians 2.3, which tells us that in humility we should consider others better than ourselves. Doesn’t that sound mannerly? Perhaps we would be better listeners if we weren’t so busy phrasing our clever responses before the other person has finished speaking.

 

But beyond bad manners, failure to listen can lead to poor judgment, bad decisions, and un-Christian behavior. How can we expect our choices to be well-informed if we have jumped to conclusions? James tells us in Chapter 1, verse 19, that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.  Did you notice the progression of actions there? Listen, speak, act. As Matthew Henry wrote, “It is folly for a man to pass sentence upon a matter which he has not patience to make a strict enquiry into.”*

Listen. Get your facts straight. Ask God to give you discernment. Listen some more. Then you may or may not have something to say.

I believe we could change the world if we would listen instead of planning a response.*

June 7, 2024

Proverbs 14.10 (NIV)
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.

Grief is an individual journey.*

Our inside is a lonely place. While I may have been through the exact experience you are having right now, I cannot share your exact feelings. I may understand your pain or your joy - I can relate to it; but I don’t have the rest of your life experience in common with you so I don’t know “exactly how you feel.” I only know exactly how I feel. Except sometimes I don’t even know that!

In I Corinthians 2.11 we read, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?” Don’t we know the answer to that? God knows our thoughts and feels our pain. I am unceasingly amazed that the Creator and Organizer of the Universe cares about my feelings. Even when I am shallow and petty, he cares enough to point it out to me and help me get over it.  When I take delight in something that I know that no one else will “get,” God gets it. He shares my joy – even when it’s silly.

The old song says, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” I might add a verse that says, “Nobody knows the joy I’ve seen, either.” Except my Heavenly Father.

Something there is in every sorrow, and in every joy, which no one else can share.*

June 6, 2024

Proverbs 12.16 (NIV)
A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

Your position may be right and your anger may be righteous, but rage opens the door for Satan to win two victories.*

I bought an ornament for my sister one Christmas. When I got it home, I decided to take it out of the box and look at it. Good thing I did because the box was empty! So off to Hallmark I went. I was very annoyed when the clerk told me she couldn’t help me. She said they didn’t carry that product in their store. I got all huffy and said, “Well, I got it here.” Then her words sunk in and it hit me: I had bought the gift at the Christian bookstore.

No one insulted me during that incident but I was certainly an annoyed fool. I try to live by the advice in James 1.19: “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” If I had followed those steps that day, I would have heard what the clerk was saying; I would not have said what I said (with my mouth and with my body language!); and I would have realized that I had nothing to be angry about. 

In my prideful desire to be the cleverest one in the room, I often say unkind and/or unnecessary things. Jesus, who had the Words of Life, prudently kept his thoughts to himself as he stood before his accusers (Matthew 27.12; Mark 14.60, 61; Luke 23.9). I pray that we can follow his example of saving our “clever” replies for the appropriate time and place.

The silence of the Lamb of God still speaks volumes.*

June 5, 2024

Proverbs 4.26 (NIV)
Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.

Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and the earth under our feet.*

One year, as Christmas was approaching, my co-workers were all a-twitter about how much they had to do before the holiday. Baking and shopping and wrapping and decorating and Christmas cards. “Who said you had to do all that?” I asked them. My point was that they were doing all those things because they chose to. If they weren’t getting joy from it, they needed to stop it. If they were enjoying it, they needed to quit stressing about it!

Are we supposed to look for the easy road - the one that doesn’t go uphill and is smoothly paved all the way? Ways that are firm – as opposed to muddy and swampy?What can we do to make level paths and firm ways for ourselves? The literal translation sheds some light on this proverb: “ponder the path.” Indeed! That might make things easier!  Think about where you’re going and perhaps you will choose better. We’re not promised an easy road but occasionally we choose the rough road when we don’t have to.

 

Solomon and I are not suggesting that we become people who are always looking for the easy way out. But what kind of statement do we make to the world if we continually choose poorly? And while it is wise to ponder our path, asking God to direct our choices is the ultimate in good sense (read Proverbs 3.5).

A wise course results from wise forethought.*