The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (44 page)

June 13

Compassion in Action

     
He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;

          
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.

To mock the poor or to gloat over disaster in someone’s life would be to look down on people like you are better than them, not because of who they are but because circumstances put them in the low place. They are helpless, and we can view them as hopeless. But let’s never forget, except for the grace of God, we could be them.

So who are those who are poor in this world, those whose lives face disaster? One very large group is foster children. They are left without a home of their own, bounced around, vulnerable and feeling like outcasts.

One church in Florida, Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, became so moved by these children’s plight, they knew they had to get involved. Out of this, God birthed a ministry called 4KIDS of South Florida. This is from the church’s website.

“Every day in South Florida, an average of eight to twelve children are removed from their homes as a result of abuse, abandonment, or neglect. 4KIDS is an organization founded to meet the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of these children. Since 1999 we have provided housing and care for thousands of children.”

I’m going to close by saying I believe it’s no accident that you are reading this today. I believe that God wants to stir someone’s heart that God loves these children. He’s not forgotten them. They are helpless but not hopeless. And maybe he’ll use you.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

People are poor in lots of ways besides just money. How can we put our compassion into action? Here are some tangible ways.

• Do you know of a child who has trouble with schoolwork? Offer to tutor them once a week to help with reading or math.
  
• Offer to give an elderly person a ride to the doctor, or help with some yard work.
  
• Prayer is the greatest gift. Pause and pray right now for someone going through a difficult time.
  
• A book or a funny card in the mail can add a smile to someone’s dreary day.
  

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 11:1–12:19; Acts 9:1-25; Psalm 131:1-3; Proverbs 17:4-5

June 14

Grandma’s House and Heart

     
Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged.

Definitely, grandchildren are one of the sweetest gifts that God has ever bestowed. I saw a bumper sticker that said, “If I had known that grandkids were so great, I would have had them first.”

I remember that moment when first I saw my granddaughter, Hannah. It was definitely love at first sight. When she was three, I gave her a little pink suitcase. When she packed it, that meant she was coming to Grandma’s house. One day I was waiting for her to come and spend the night. She was excited. I was excited. Then came her little, wild knock. I ran to throw open the door, and she threw up her arms and said, “It’s your girl!” I loved it.

With grandchildren, grandparents have that great privilege of being a source of unconditional love. Being a child growing up in this complicated world right now is not easy. I want to challenge you. Pray for your grandchildren even if they’re not born yet. Pray for them faithfully. Pray Scripture for them. Pray the promises of God for them and invest in them spiritually.

Let me recommend some excellent resources to keep at your home for the times they come to visit. Kenneth Taylor compiled a wonderful, must-have children’s Bible called
The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes
. Keep a library of good Christian movies. And invest in nature movies like
Incredible Creatures That Defy Evolution
that show the wonder of God’s creation.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Let me speak to those who have adult prodigal children. Don’t let your heart despair because your grandchildren are not raised in a godly home. One of my dearest friends, Jan Vance, became an incredible woman of God largely because her grandparents were a godly influence. Whenever you can, plant seeds in your grandchildren’s lives. Always tuck in a Christian music CD along with their birthday gifts. When they are teenagers, they especially need your prayers. They especially need your unconditional love. God has entrusted you with the wonderful and holy opportunity of letting “your light so shine . . . that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16,
NKJV
).

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 12:20–13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6

June 15

Don’t Buy the Lie

     
Eloquent speech is not fitting for a fool;

          
even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

This proverb tells us that we don’t always get what we expect. We do not expect a fool to speak with eloquence. We expect to be able to tell immediately that someone is speaking foolishness because it will sound stupid. It would immediately sound wrong. But that’s just not the way it is. Remember, Satan is the king of smoke and mirrors. He could be called “Slick Satan.” In Genesis 3 he masked his intentions when he spoke with Eve. His words sounded both logical and appealing. He insinuated that God was withholding something good from her—something that she needed and that she really wanted. Satan made it seem that God is stingy. Eve listened and acted on this lie. But God was withholding the fruit from the tree only because it would bring her pain. Eve was a foolish woman.

As wise, godly women, we must be discerning. Don’t believe every dressed-up lie you hear on a talk show or in a book, no matter how eloquently it’s presented.

We must be Bereans. According to the book of Acts, the Bereans took what they heard and then searched the Scriptures to see if it lined up with God’s Word. Sometimes a foolish lie merely takes a nugget of truth and twists it into a dangerous deception. The better we know the truth, the less likely we will be tricked into falling for the fancy fake.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

If you are reading this right now and there is someone—maybe at the office, at the gym, or on the Internet—who is giving you a line, tempting you to do something you know is wrong,
wake up
! If you are lonely as a single or in an unhappy marriage, you are especially vulnerable. Three days ago a woman came to me sobbing. She is having an affair with a man at work, and her heart is now torn. She knows it will only bring devastation to her four kids and destroy their home.

Please, I want to beg you, call out to God right now and ask him to guard your heart. If you have already fallen, call out to him in repentance. He is the God of grace and truth.

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 14:1–15:24; Acts 10:1-23; Psalm 133:1-3; Proverbs 17:7-8

June 16

Love Covers

     
He who covers a transgression seeks love,

     
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.

What does that mean? It means it’s easy to love someone who covers your back. So if you want to be loved, be lovable. Look for the best in others because it brings out the best in others. On the other hand, most of us know people who have something bad to say about everybody: a critical spirit, nagging, assuming the worst. It wears you out and drags you down. I think most of us already have this little internal voice that rags at us:
You’re a failure. No one needs you. Why can’t you get it right?
Come on, my friends, let’s choose to be the voice that says to others, “Hey, you can do it. Try again. I do have confidence in you.”

Now let’s apply this. Did your husband do something stupid? Forget about it! Let that little event be buried, and throw away the shovel. Did your son strike out or fail math? Did your daughter get a fender bender? Did your sister gain a few pounds? Cover their backs. In these things, won’t we just give others a break? Can we be a safety net and soft landing in their times of private pain, problems, and failures?

I just love this definition of a friend: a friend is someone who sees you fail and doesn’t think you’re a failure. Even better, Peter said, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8,
NIV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

When I forget that I make mistakes too, I am harder on others. Admit it: so are you. Let’s let Jesus set us straight: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? . . . You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:1-3, 5,
NIV
).

One Year Bible Reading

1 Kings 15:25–17:24; Acts 10:24-48; Psalm 134:1-3; Proverbs 17:9-11