The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (42 page)

June 5

Pleasant Words Promote Instruction

     
The wise in heart are called discerning,

          
and pleasant words promote instruction. . . .

     
A wise man’s [or woman’s] heart guides his mouth,

          
and his lips promote instruction.

Often we think of wisdom springing from one’s head. Being wise is being smart. But wisdom, true wisdom, dwells in the heart. Listen to the beautiful description of godly wisdom in James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (
NIV
).

Our proverb today says, “A wise woman guides her mouth,” and it is easy to learn from her. So, moms, one of your primary roles with your children is teaching. We have formal moments of teaching when we help with homework or teach them to make their beds. But be aware, there are a thousand informal teachable moments. They are learning from you all of the time, not just from what you say but how you say it. They learn from what you do and how you do it. They learn how to respond to the disappointments of life from you. What do you do when they drop the ketchup bottle, or the dog chews a shoe, or the dishwasher breaks? Little daily crises. Are we harsh? Do we vent? Do we blame?

If you realize that your words are sending the wrong message, what can you do? You don’t need to wash out your mouth. You need to go to the Cross and cleanse your heart.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

If you grew up in a family where scoldings and punishment were more prevalent than kindness and patience, you know in your heart that did not work. Yet we often fall into the habits we learned at home. It’s time to break the mold and do things God’s way. Learn to be a cheerleader. If others feel you are instructing them for their benefit and that you believe in them, learning is fun. Will you use your words to lift others up? Find something to praise. Lighten up. Give others a break. Let God’s wisdom remind you that “pleasant words promote instruction.”

One Year Bible Reading

2 Samuel 23:24–24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23

June 6

Pleasant Words Are Sweet

     
Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,

     
Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

Pleasant words. I have to say that there are no words in the universe that have more power for good to us than the very words of God. Jeremiah said, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O L
ORD
God Almighty” (Jeremiah 15:16,
NIV
).

Sweet words. The Psalms are a source of encouragement and comfort. The Proverbs give us sound, practical advice. The Epistles teach us how to live. Revelation gives us a picture of our eternal future, and the Gospels give us a fresh picture of Jesus.

Let me give you some examples that might be just the sweet, strong words that you need today to give you hope and strength.

Are you weary and discouraged? Do you feel like you just can’t go on? God’s Word says, “They that wait upon the L
ORD
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles” (Isaiah 40:31,
KJV
).

Are you lonely, feeling abandoned? “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5,
NKJV
).

Are you sad? Psalm 34:18 says, “The L
ORD
is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (
NIV
).

And, last, are you worried? Are you afraid for the future? Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32,
KJV
). Remember, “the L
ORD
is [your] shepherd; [you] shall not want” (Psalm 23:1,
NKJV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

I have Scriptures all over my home. And I love to give framed Scripture to others for birthdays, to those grieving, for housewarming gifts, and always to new mothers. When I find beautiful frames at discount stores, I stock up. With all the amazing graphics you can do on the computer, along with scrapbooking supplies, it is easy to print a Scripture and add beautiful embellishments. You can go to my web page, BibleBusStop.com, to download a variety of designs. June is a month when we often give graduation and wedding gifts. Will you add a framed Scripture? Pray over the Scriptures as you give them. It is fun to see Scriptures I have given as gifts displayed in homes many years later.

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 1:1-53; Acts 4:1-37; Psalm 124:1-8; Proverbs 16:24

June 7

Wrong Seems Right

     
There is a way that seems right to a man,

     
But its end is the way of death.

This very same statement is made in Proverbs 14:12. Since repetition is the mother of learning, God must want us to understand this: that “there is a way that seems right to us, but its end is the way of death.”

So, ladies, let’s think about some of the ways that we might get stuck on thinking we are doing the right thing for us or for our kids, but in the end they will hurt us. Let me list a few.

It might seem right when your kids are in sports and their games are on weekends to miss church during all of baseball season, but the end of that is that your kids become detached from youth group, and they learn that a little plastic trophy is more important than honoring God.

So many single women believe that they will never be happy unless they get married. They think they must compromise morally to win a man, and that any man is better than no man at all.

Some married women think that they can only be happy if their husband changes, makes more money, or they got rid of this husband for another one. So they give up praying for their husbands. They settle for a deadness of the heart.

Sometimes we think our kids would be better off if we worked outside the home to buy them nice things. But we forget kids need a mom more than they need nice things. There are times when it seems right to be rude to your mother-in-law, or watch that racy TV show, or stop tithing when money is tight, because “there is a way that seems right to us as women, but its end is the way of death.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Can you think of an occasion when you made a decision that seemed good at the time, but it turned out bad? I can. Our human understanding is flawed and shortsighted. That’s why it is exciting that God offers to make his wisdom available to us at any time. James 1:5-8 is an invitation and a promise: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally” (
NKJV
). Will you ask him to guide you today?

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 2:1–3:2; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25

June 8

Speak No Evil

     
An ungodly man [or woman] digs up evil,

     
And it is on his lips like a burning fire.

The New Living Translation puts it this way: “Scoundrels hunt for scandal; their words are a destructive blaze.”

Here we look at the damage that the war of words can bring. As children of God, we must honestly look at the picture of what God is calling ungodly behavior.

It’s looking for dirt on others. Are you ever eager to hear a bad report about someone else? Do you watch the scandal shows or read the scandal papers? If you hear of the sin of someone, do you ever find an inner satisfaction? That’s bad.

Ungodly behavior is spreading the bad news. Are you eager to tell someone else what you know or hear even if you suspect it’s only half true? Our proverb today says evil is on an ungodly person’s lips like a burning fire.

James 3:6 says, “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature [life], and it is set on fire by hell” (
NKJV
).

So what do we do when we hear a bad report about someone, especially if it’s a brother or a sister in the Lord? The next question is, what
should
we do?

Let me tell you: the first and sometimes the last person we should ever speak to about it is God himself. We can either be part of the problem, or we can be part of the solution by praying, because “love covers . . . a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8,
NIV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

James 3:9-11, 13 gives us firm warning and instruction about words. We need to post it on our phones and computer screens. Please read the words carefully and prayerfully. “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? . . . Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (
NIV
).

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 3:3–4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27