Making Way for Others

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 31

Gold Nugget
Verse 23: “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.”

Commentary

Today’s chapter in proverbs focuses mainly on the strong character of a virtuous wife. I would like to focus our attention on the verse concerning her husband in the midst of a long run about her qualities.  Today’s “gold nugget” says, “Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.” Why would I want to bring attention to what her husband’s status was in the land? The reason isn't because of how great her husband is. I don’t believe that is the agenda of the writer. I believe the point the writer is making is the reason her husband was a pillar in the community. I believe the reason the writer threw in this mention of the husband in the midst of a long list of her great qualities is because of how the husband benefited from such an amazing wife. She was so diligent in all of her business that she not only made him look good, she freed him of all cares that would distract him from tending to the business he was called to. They both had business to attend to and one was not greater than the other. Are the legs of the table any less or greater than the table surface? Which is the man, the legs or the table surface? Both are vital and I will not choose for this devotion which one is which. I will simply say that we all have opportunities to enable or disable others.

We may be in the spotlight or in the shadows, but unless we are concerned with receiving glory, it doesn't matter which one we serve in. We just need to be the enablers for good things in each other. Sometime we need to know that what we do makes a way or blocks the way for others. This is not a gender thing, this is a godly thing. We can and should be the wind beneath each other’s wings. It takes more character to hold open a door for someone than it takes to walk through a door being held open for you. This role of making away for others to be successful is not a growing trait, but it is one that reflects the heart of God. In a day of self promoting, we don’t promote one another through our own efforts enough. We should be as John the Baptist was. Despite his great popularity, when Jesus came along, he humbled himself, made a way for Jesus and proclaimed that he must decrease while Jesus increased.

Prayer

Lord, help us to see opportunities where we can make away for others to prosper through our efforts. Help us to have a spirit of decreasing for others and more importantly, decreasing for you. Amen

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Jehovah Jireh

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 30

Gold Nugget

Verse 8: "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches-- Feed me with the food allotted to me; 9 Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God." 

Commentary

You may have heard God referred to as Jehovah Jireh - which is translated "The Lord Who Provides". Today's "gold nugget" shines the light on three positions in life: (1.) the person who lacks what he needs to survive, (2) the person who lives in abundance, and (3) the person who has his needs met without excess. We will quickly look at these three situations and how they can affect your spiritual condition.

First, the person who lacks what he needs. The scripture from today's proverb describes how people who lack can bring shame to His name. "lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God." Those who lack what they need may find themselves in a state of despair, leading to potentially drastic measures. The point in this verse raises the likely hood for being tempted to steal, bringing shame to the name of the person you serve.

Secondly, the Person who lives in excess. Jesus said "It's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God". (Matthew 19:24) I believe today's "gold nugget" sheds light on this truth. People who live in abundance often can't relate to being in need - this may include being in need of a savior. They are so self-sufficient that they can't make the connection with needing anyone aside from themselves. "Lest I be full and deny You". 

Lastly, the Person who has their needs meet without excess. This person lives by what the Lord promises us in His Word. God will supply all our need according to His riches and glory. He knows what we have need of before we ask. Jesus said, "Take no thought of what you will eat or what you will wear". He takes care of the birds, He will take care of you. This person is content with whatever God provides him, knowing that God will not leave him starving and naked.

Prayer (For today, should the prayer be any other than the gold nugget itself?)

Lord, remove falsehood and lies far from me; Give me neither poverty nor riches- Feed me with the food allotted to me; Lest I be full and deny You, And say, "Who is the Lord?" Or lest I be poor and steal, And profane the name of my God. Amen

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Fearing Man

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 29

Gold Nugget
Verse 25: “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.”

Commentary

What is the fear of man and how does it relate to your safety? Imagine being in a sticky situation at work. You made a small error in your job that had massive effects. You cost your company thousands of dollars, but nobody really knows who did it. You know there isn't any way anyone could find out who did it. All you have to do is deny it was you, knowing that there isn't any way to identify what happened. You have a free pass. Some folks would say that it was a gift from God that you were able to avoid harm, but a mature Christian knows better. As today’s “gold nugget” says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” This brings us back to the original question. Your fear of man (the fear of your boss in this case) is making you want to lie for your safety. There are many situations that will fall into this scenario. Maybe it is the jokes your boss tells that you laugh at when you wouldn't normally. Maybe your father-in-law challenges you in a spiritual area that you may be afraid to take your normal stance against. We may have to use our imagination a little, but if you think about it, you will see how the fear of man or maybe peers will cause us to compromise our beliefs. In that, we allow ourselves to be caught in the snare mentioned in today’s “gold nugget”. It may be difficult, but we have to cling to the truth of the latter part of this verse, “but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” This is to say, whoever will stay faithful and stand on truth despite any repercussions, God will surely keep us safe. We may fear losing our paycheck, but God will keep us fed. As a matter of fact, if we lied about costing the company money, we may survive that day, but when other areas of our life start to fall apart, we foolishly don’t make the connection between reaping and sowing. Be sure that whatever it will cost you to avoid the wrath of man will not compare to what it will cost you to bring on the wrath of God. Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Prayer

Lord, in our day to day life we find ourselves in situations where our fear of man will cost us in our relationship with you. Help us to see clearly what is at stake and walk boldly in the truth. We would rather avoid your wrath than the wrath of man. Even without your wrath, we would rather be at peace with you than at peace with man.  Amen

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The Cover Up

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 28

Gold Nugget

Verse 13: “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

                                                                                                                             

Commentary

If we were in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, we would begin by saying, “Hello, my name is ___ and I am an alcoholic”.  It’s an underlining principle that the individual comes to terms with their weakness. As we discussed in the devotion entitled, “An Intervention”, all works of the flesh fall under the heading of “Sin”. All sin (large or small) ends in death. If I avoid repentance towards God, I will inherit death. This is according to the scriptures, but death from sin does not always wait until the end. If I engage in the sin of adultery, I could inherit the death of a marriage. If I engage in stealing, I could inherit the death of my freedom. Simply said, sin is destructive and does not always wait for the end before death starts to spread in our lives, relationships and so on.

A fool will weigh the death of a marriage against the present pleasures and allow death to creep in. Sin and its deadly destruction will take more than you bargain for. Many of us have the wrong attitude towards sin. We measure how big the sin is, when actually it all has the same end. I don’t want to die of a slow agonizing death any more than I want to die from a fall off a building. They both end in death. Sin is sin and I don’t want to deny or cover it up. I would rather confess it and have it removed far from me. I don’t want to be like the man in today’s “gold nugget”. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” 

  

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for how true you have been to me. I am grateful for the revealing affect the Light of your Word has in showing me the sin in my life and I purpose to allow your grace and mercy to provoke repentance. Amen

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Reflections

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 27

Gold Nugget
Verse 19: “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

 Commentary

Today’s scripture reminds us that despite all of our attempts to present ourselves in whatever light fits our fancy, the content of our heart will be reflected in our lives. The decisions we make, how we choose to live and what we commit ourselves to will reveal who we really are. We can go to church on Sunday, but what we do for 2 hours out of 168 hours in a week does not reflect who we are inside. Many people take comfort in their 2 hour commitment on Sunday, thinking it justifies who they are the other 166 hours a week. Consider today’s “gold nugget” that says, “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.”

"Christian" is a name given to Disciples of Christ. Concerning the definition of a disciple, Jesus once said, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35) A true reflection of this verse, is a Christian is someone who loves others. I don’t have a list of things that Steve would say proves you are a Christian. My question for you is, “Does the 166 hours of the week that you have left after giving God His 2 hours on Sunday reflect the love you have for one another? Is the 4 hours spent volunteering at the homeless shelter justify your Christianity? No. Does the love that motivated the work evidence of Christianity? Absolutely. It’s not really what you do, it’s your motive. We should be motivated by love to do much more than occupy a seat on Sunday morning. I hope we will consider this today.

Prayer

Lord, I know that the things I spend my time on, money on and energy on is what truly reflects the contents of my heart. This should be good news for us. We should be able to look at theses things and allow them to gut check us and motivate any change as needed. Amen

 

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An Intervention

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 26

Gold Nugget

Verse 12: “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

                                                                                                                             

Commentary

I’ve watched several episodes of a television series titled, “Intervention”. The show is a documentary that follows someone addicted to drugs or alcohol.  Eventually they reveal the intent of the show is to conclude with an intervention from the family. My heart breaks for the families who suffer from the effects that sin has over the user. We know the bible describes the work of the cross and sacrifice of Jesus as sufficient to not only forgive sin, but set us free from its power of sin over us. The person addicted to drugs or alcohol is often blind to their bondage. They often believe they can quit anytime. They are like todays gold nugget that reads, “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”

Whether it is a family member that forsakes sobriety, a spouse that abandons loyalty, or a teen that rebels against their parents, being "wise in your own eyes" will lead to destruction. We need to acknowledge sin in our lives and making necessary changes. If we don’t, we are as foolish as the man in today’s “gold nugget” that sees everything with His own perspective to his own downfall..

Prayer

Lord, help us to be mindful of the power the sacrifice you  made on the cross is in or lives. Help us to avoid being "wise in our own eyes", but allow a true reflection of who we are to provoke change. Amen

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Sweet as Honey

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 25

Gold Nugget

Verse 16: "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, Lest you be filled with it and vomit"

Commentary

You've heard that too much of a good thing can be bad. How often have we proven that to be true? Back in the days when this scripture was written, honey was not on every street corner. You couldn't run down to Wal-Mart and buy you a jar. Honey was a luxury and a symbol of prosperity. Those that had honey where truly blessed. That's where I would like to tie this in today. Have you been blessed? "Have you found honey? " or maybe, "Have you found money? ". There is nothing wrong with honey or money, but too much of either can bring you to vomit. It is self explanatory as to why too much honey would make you sick, but is that really what the writer is trying to warn us about?

We recently discussed being a glutton and a drunk. Not having self control with food and alcohol can lead to obvious problems, but what of having too much desire for money? For one, the guy in this illustration seemed to have so much focus on consuming as much honey as he could, all while missing out on enjoying its sweetness. Having money can be nice, but being consumed with hoarding it will rob you of its sweetness now. As with anything, too much can be either obsessive or a waste. I know it's easy for me to say (seeing how I don't have much), but I would be ashamed to live in such an abundance that I forgot what it felt like to get hungry or thirsty. Despite what anyone may say, these things are good for us. They give us motivation and purpose.

Prayer

Lord, I do thank you for my many blessings. You have blessed me so much that my blessings sometimes compete with you for my affection and attention. I don't want to punish you for blessing me by letting them consume me. You are worthy of all my gratitude and affection. Thank you for everything. Amen

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Ignorance of the Law

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 24

Gold Nugget
Verse 12: “ If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?”

Commentary

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. I've heard that all my life. It is a valuable lesson that applies to many other areas of our lives. There is a reason why minors are penalized less for the same crimes committed by adults. It's accepted that by the time you reach a certain age you have had time to learn the basic laws of the land. Even outside of the age factor, a new law will be held against you if it has been in effect for enough time that you should be aware of it. If a history teacher provides you with a history book, tells you to study it and then gives you a test about its contents, would you have legitimate case to claim ignorance? Of course not. We are not just held accountable for what we know, but also what we should know.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse if the knowledge of the Law was made available to us. I believe there are many Christians today that are very ignorant of the truth of God’s Word. I also believe that much of it is by choice. We live in a society where the scriptures are at our finger tips and yet we take some sort of comfort in our lack of knowledge. It’s as if we feel more comfortable being ignorant because of the alternative of possibly having to give up too much. Ignorance (by choice or neglect) is no excuse.

Prayer

Lord, you have made your manual for life (the Scriptures) readily available to us. Help us to take responsibility for learning what your Word has to say to us, about us and for us. Allow it to direct and correct our lives. Help us to see the values of ever learning more and more about you through your Word.” Amen

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A Better Investment

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 23

Gold Nugget

Verse 23: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”

                                                                                                                             

Commentary

If our lives were the stock market, the best investments would be the ones mentioned in today’s “gold nugget”. Truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding are the principle shares that have the highest returns. “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”  I’m not familiar with the stock market, but I can appreciate the agenda of the proverb for today. All of us are in pursuit of something. Some are in pursuit of money, fame or material things such as cars, houses, boats, clothes, etc. Some of us are in pursuit of more appropriate things that have eternal value, but rest assured we all pursue something. We need to channel that pursuit into an appropriate direction. God is the source of everything that we could ever truly need or want.

If we are hungry and seek God, He will make truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding available to us. Buy them. We purchase them by commitment and sacrifice. I'm not talking about salvation, we know that isn't earned or bought, but once we receive these things from God and see them flowing into our lives, we will not sell them! We will not give anything in return for them. 

Prayer

Lord, the elements mentioned in today’s “gold nugget” cannot be bought at the corner store or off of EBay. They are given to us by you through commitment and loyalty. Help us to invest in the things eternal and watch them overshadow the things that are temporal. Amen

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Read Your Email

Reading for Today: Proverb Chapter 22

Gold Nugget
Verse 20: “Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge?”

Commentary

In today’s business atmosphere, the written word has taken on greater power than it has in previous years. E-mails have raised the level of accountability in various aspects of business. While a memo in the 80’s could have been challenged as to whom it was addressed, delivered to and read by, today claims of conversations or delegations can often be confirmed or overruled by the mention of an e-mail. Just recently I had to remind a contractor of an e-mail conversation between us that proved he was notified of certain conditions that he agreed to. While at first he tried to waffle out of some accountability, he quickly withdrew his position at the mention of the e-mail. There is something very effective about the written word. It cannot easily be discounted, argued with or dismissed. Such is today’s “gold nugget”. Here we are reminded by God, “Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge?” I think it's an unfortunate scenario that many people think they will only be held accountable for what they know. The truth is, we will also be held accountable for what knowledge and counsel was made available to us. If I neglect to read my e-mails throughout the day, I will fall behind in knowledge of situations that require my action. I can’t simply claim that I did not read my e-mails and therefore cannot be held accountable for its contents. As crazy as that sounds, it is the exact same thing with the Word of God. Like e-mails addressed to us from God, in the scriptures, we find that He has “written to us excellent things of counsels and knowledge” and we will not be excused for choosing not to read our e-mail. The information in the Word of God, the bible, contains knowledge of situations that require our action. Have you been reading your e-mails or are you just hoping to get by playing ignorant?

Prayer
Lord, your truth, precepts and expectations of us are clearly laid out for us in the bible. Help us to realize that we will be held accountable for both what we know and what was made available for us to know. Amen

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