The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (64 page)

August 30

The King’s Friend

     
Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes too.

          
Quarrels and insults will disappear.

     
Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech

          
will have the king as a friend.

A mocker or scorner is someone who will not yield or respect others. They always want their own way. Before we think of how this applies to others, may we first be honest with ourselves, and then cast out those tendencies in ourselves. Honestly, have you ever wondered why no one calls you to go to lunch? Why no one asks you to help on the retreat committee? Have you wondered why no one calls you to pray with them when they’re down? Maybe, just maybe, it’s because you’re hard to get along with and people have given up.

Listen: the beautiful contrast to a troublemaker is someone who “loves a pure heart and gracious speech.” She will enjoy the best of friendships.

One of the most beautiful pictures of friendships in the Bible is that of Jonathan and David. Jonathan was a king’s son, but David was just a shepherd. It would seem they had nothing in common. But Jonathan saw something in David that he was drawn to. He saw that David viewed God as God almighty. They both believed that when we step forward in God’s will, no weapon formed against us will prosper. Their friendship was forged and merged by their mutual love for God.

And so for us, what are we looking for when we seek out a friendship? What do others find in us when they look for friendship? It’s been said, “We either lift others up, or we pull them down.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Although I love my friends here on earth, there is no better, truer friend than Jesus. Can you say that he is truly your friend, not just because the Bible says so, but because you’ve experienced it? He can be. He is available; are you? A relationship with the Lord, just like all relationships, takes time and investment and communication. The returns are beyond description. He is the Good Shepherd, the Prince of Peace, and the King Eternal. Consider this moment an invitation to draw nearer and go deeper with him.

One Year Bible Reading

Job 34:1–36:33; 2 Corinthians 4:1-12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 22:10-12

August 31

Excuses, Excuses

     
The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside!

     
I shall be slain in the streets!”

The lazy person is just full of excuses, isn’t he? We used to live in Oregon. Both my husband and I went running very early in the morning. In the winter it was hard to go out because it was still dark at six. But sometimes it was not only dark, it was raining. When it was like this, we’d turn to each other and say, “There’s a lion in the street!”

Lazy.
Lazy
means “to be averse or disinclined to work or activity.”

Benjamin Franklin used to say, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” And Florence Nightingale said, “I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took an excuse.”

So the question is, have you made an excuse for not doing the right thing, or the hard thing, or the important thing, or the next thing?

There is an area that I have to admit I am very concerned about among Christian women, particularly in regard to their spiritual lives. Although most would say that having a personal quiet time in God’s Word is important, vital, and life-changing, still they put it off. They aren’t consistent. I have an exciting website called BibleBusStop.com. It is full of helpful tools and practical encouragement so that there will be no excuse and no neglect. Remember the lion of laziness is really the devouring lion called Satan.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Why do we give up? Maybe it’s because we feel overwhelmed, so far behind that there is no use trying. But that’s not true! Right now in
The One Year Bible
we are reading 2 Corinthians. So no more excuses. Begin your habit of reading daily with just the New Testament. Just seven to ten minutes a day for the next thirty days will establish an easy and yet rich habit. Today’s good word for you is from 2 Corinthians 4:16: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.”

One Year Bible Reading

Job 37:1–39:30; 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:10; Psalm 44:9-26; Proverbs 22:13

Scan this code for audio devotionals or visit
www.tyndal.es/wisdom
.

September 1

A Deep Pit

     
The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;

     
He who is abhorred by the L
ORD
will fall there.

This is a very serious and sobering statement. It gives a clear picture of how powerful and dangerous a woman can be. King Solomon was a man who knew from experience that the wrong woman can bring trouble that is hard to shake. Listen to what he says in Ecclesiastes 7:26: “I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be trapped” (
NKJV
).

This is a really good place to address how important it is for us as godly women to speak and act and dress like godly women, no matter what age we are. A great prayer to start our day with is “Lord, I want to please you. Help me to be aware of your presence all day.” This prayer can and should affect everything, including what we wear. We need to remember that men are very visual. May we never ever be the source of trouble to any man’s soul. As you go out the door, take one more look at what you’re wearing. Frankly, is your neckline too low? Is your skirt too short or too tight? “Beauty is as beauty does.”

First Peter 1:14-16 tells us, “As obedient children, don’t be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘Y
OU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR
I
AM HOLY
’” (
NASB
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

An immoral woman is not just a pit to others; she falls into the pit herself. The sexual revolution unleashed in the late sixties and early seventies has been a whirlwind of devastation. Let me ask you, are you haunted by the sins of your past? Do you have flashbacks or shame or fear? You’d be surprised how many women, even Christian women, carry that same weight.
HealingHearts.org
has a Bible study written especially for you, called
The Hem of His Garment
. Will you write them today? They are ready to help.

One Year Bible Reading

Job 40:1–42:17; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Psalm 45:1-17; Proverbs 22:14