The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (24 page)

March 28

Wicked Ways Backfire

     
A good man [or woman] obtains favor from the L
ORD
,

          
but the L
ORD
condemns a crafty man.

     
A man cannot be established through wickedness,

          
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.”

I like what Jon Courson has to say on this: “It’s not that God will hurl down judgment on the man of wicked devices. It’s simply that He will allow that man’s own wicked devices to backfire on him.”

As a kid, I used to love the “Road Runner” cartoons. That mangy coyote was always building elaborate contraptions to trap the road runner. He would light dynamite, but it would blow up in his face. He would set boulders to fall, but they would fall and crush him. The difference with the cartoon and real life is that the backfires happened right away. In real life, it takes longer.

So, ladies, if there is someone who is hurting you or someone you love, take heart from the words of Psalm 37:7-9: “Be still before the L
ORD
and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the L
ORD
will inherit the land” (
NIV
).

Bottom line: you cannot stop others from doing wrong. But you can refuse to let them pull you into it. Remember, “A good woman obtains favor from the L
ORD
.” That’s a promise you can bank on.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you waited and prayed and waited and prayed, and yet you see no relief? You are not alone. The Bible tells us that Joseph waited thirteen years before he was delivered from slavery and prison. And it was at least nine more years before he saw his family. Then what an amazing restoration came (see Genesis 37–47)! Waiting on God is not wasted time. God is working behind the scenes and at the same time stretching and refining you. He can then use you to encourage others in hard times.

Let’s Pray

Lord, help me to trust you while you work. And help me to yield to the work you are doing in me.

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 9:1–10:22; Luke 8:4-21; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3

March 29

An Excellent Wife

     
An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

     
But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

I’m always interested to hear what men have to say about a verse like this. Matthew Henry said, “He that is blessed with a good wife is as happy as if he were upon the throne; for she is no less than a crown to him. . . . He that is plagued with a bad wife is as miserable as if he were upon the dunghill; for she is no better than rottenness in his bones; . . . she makes him ashamed.”

Pretty strong language, but if we’re honest, we know it is true.

Let’s take a look at a good example.

Just before George Bush left office, I saw a program with Laura Bush. She was giving a tour of the White House. As she walked around, she was gentle and gracious—not just polite, but truly humble. She had an amazing respect for the history of the different rooms. But one of the things that was especially sweet was that she mentioned several times that she and George had gathered with their friends in certain rooms for little dinner parties. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live with the pressures they had for eight years in Washington. She clearly was not his vice president, but she was the kind of wife who knew how to create a personal oasis for her husband where wars and politics, even if for just a few hours, were secondary to what was on the menu for dessert. Good job, Laura Bush. You knew how to make even the president feel like a king!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

An excellent wife is a praying wife. Sometimes our hearts get hard or cold or just distracted in our marriages. Stormie Omartian writes, in
The Power of a Praying Wife
, “When we pray, . . . our hearts become soft toward God, and we gain a renewed vision. We see there is hope. We have faith that He will restore all that has been devoured, destroyed, and eaten away.” Will you kneel today and lift your husband up to God in prayer?

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 11:1–12:32; Luke 8:22-39; Psalm 70:1-5; Proverbs 12:4

March 30

Thought Life

     
The thoughts of the righteous are right,

     
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

The word
thoughts
can also be translated as “plans.” Think about it, ladies. Where do we make our plans? They start in our heads. That’s where we formulate what we are going to do or say.

“The thoughts of the righteous are right.” This gives us tremendous insight into the fact that our thought life is extremely important. Some say, “You are what you eat,” but more important, you are what you think. Therefore, the disciplines of a godly woman must include cleansing and reprogramming her thought life with God’s Word. The perfect method for that is given in Psalm 119:15: “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways” (
NIV
). Are you having trouble with your thought life? Let me suggest Scripture memorization. It is much easier than you think.

My friend Sherri Youngward is the one who sings the intro to the
Wisdom for Women
broadcast every day. She has recorded a music CD of songs that are entirely Scripture. It’s wonderful. You can order it on her website at sherriyoungward.com. Play it over and over while you are in your car—or working at home. Picture the words flowing over your mind to cleanse it, to unload your thoughts from the negative, and to rewire your attitudes. God’s Word has power—it can entirely transform your thought life, because as you ponder his Word, you are thinking his thoughts.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you been plagued by destructive thoughts: condemning, fearful, anxious, doubts of God’s love and goodness? Do you have anger and malice, jealous thoughts, lustful fantasies, hopeless or dark spiritual thoughts? God has given us powerful tools—prayer, his Word, and his Holy Spirit—“casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5,
KJV
).

Let’s Pray

I have tried to be free before; I need your power. Savior, you can move mountains. Please wash me with the power of your blood. Free me from the thoughts that block your light, and replace them with truth.

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 13:1–15:23; Luke 8:40–9:6; Psalm 71:1-24; Proverbs 12:5-7

March 31

Will Be Commended

     
A man [or woman] will be commended according to his wisdom,

     
But he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

What does the word
commended
mean? Well, believe it or not, it means to shine with God’s favor, to be praised.

I’d like to focus on the phrase “will be commended” in this proverb. Although the Proverbs deal mostly with the practical matters of everyday living here on this earth, once in a while they speak of a long off, future tense: “will be.”

Child of God, maybe you are in a situation where it is hard to be a Christian. You don’t fit in with the crowd. If your husband isn’t saved, you aren’t encouraged in the things of the Lord. Sometimes you aren’t appreciated. Maybe even your kids ridicule your old-fashioned views of life. Just remember, a woman “will be commended” according to her wisdom.

Charles Wesley wrote, “Keep us little and unknown, prized and loved by God alone.”

First Corinthians 15:58 reminds us, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (
NKJV
).

Never forget that for a child of God, the here and now is not all there is. Sometimes you need to zoom forward to eternity, picture being at the throne in his presence, and to hear the King of kings say to you, “Well done.” Now that is
royally
being “commended.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

If you are trying to be faithful, never forget that God does see. May he shine his favor on you today if . . .

One Year Bible Reading

Deuteronomy 16:1–17:20; Luke 9:7-27; Psalm 72:1-20; Proverbs 12:8-9