The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (67 page)

September 10

Dangerous Delicacies

     
When you sit to dine with a ruler,

          
note well what is before you,

          
and put a knife to your throat

          
if you are given to gluttony.

     
Do not crave his delicacies,

          
for that food is deceptive.

What is this saying to us as women? Well, we see there is a warning that we are to enter some situations with reserve. Things are not always as they appear. Don’t plunge headlong into taking part in what is set before you. Be discerning. Be wise.

In Daniel chapter 1, Daniel was invited to sit and eat at the king’s table and partake of his delicacies. He refused. Do you ever wonder why? It was just food. Was he majoring on minors? No. Daniel was living in a society where compromise was commonplace. Here are some reasons he chose to distance himself.

• The king was ungodly, an idol worshiper. To come to his table would be to partake of his views, his influence, and his way of life.
  
• There was extravagance. Ladies, we can get a taste for rich things, and it can drive us. We can begin to think we need rich things at any cost.
  
• Friendships are made at tables. When we eat with others, we let down our guards and become comfortable. Be careful who you are comfortable with.
  

James 4:4 tells us, “Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (
NKJV
). Compromise leads to compromise, which leads to compromise.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Our children, especially when they are teens and college age, constantly find themselves in compromising situations. We call that peer pressure. Just because they seem to be doing well, don’t kid yourself. One weak moment can change their lives. One taste of the delicacies of drugs or sex or pornography or alcohol can lead them to a taste for more. Don’t kid yourself about the compromises you allow in your life and home either. Don’t just be worried; be wise. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to give you discernment in your own life, and then you will be able to see clearly to help safeguard your family.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 6:1–7:25; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 23:1-3

September 11

Vanity, Vanity

     
Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

          
have the wisdom to show restraint.

     
Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone,

          
for they will surely sprout wings

          
and fly off to the sky like an eagle.

It is hard to imagine a generation that’s living more contrary to this proverb. People are driving themselves and wearing themselves out. In most homes both Mom and Dad work long hours just to get ahead. But, sadly, it’s hard to find anyone who feels that enough is enough. The more money you make, the more you spend. I saw a bumper sticker that says, “I owe, I owe; so off to work I go.”

For us as women, we can get caught up in the pursuit of the latest fashions, or trendy décor for our house. That too is a rabbit chase. Last year’s trend often goes in this year’s garage sale box. Vanity, vanity.

To be wise is to know that life is not measured in riches. Contentment is great gain. Those who have it, as Shakespeare said in
Hamlet
, “could be bounded in a nutshell and count [themselves] a king of infinite space.”

So how can we make the shift? How can we shake free of the rat race?

Jesus gave us wise advice for living in Matthew 6:19-21: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth. . . . Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

This is a good place to remind ourselves that having an eternal perspective will transform all our passions and pursuits.

     
Two little lines I heard one day, traveling along life’s busy way,

     
Bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart,

     
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

     
Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done,

     
Then, in “that day” my Lord to meet, and stand before His Judgment seat;

     
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 8:1–9:21; 2 Corinthians 12:1-10; Psalm 55:1-23; Proverbs 23:4-5

September 12

A Stingy Man

     
Do not eat the food of a stingy man;

          
do not crave his delicacies;

          
for he is the kind of man who is always thinking about the cost.

     
“Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

     
You will vomit up the little you have eaten

          
and will have wasted your compliments.

It’s amazing. I’ve seen more stingy people who are rich than stingy people who are poor. It’s a shame. For some, being rich means more to hoard, never more to give.

I have gone to homes like mansions but felt poor, hardly welcomed, and not really wanted. Be careful when you’re in that atmosphere. You never want to be beholden to those who are stingy or insincere in what they give or what they do. Our proverb says we’ll be sorry later.

In contrast, it’s a joy to see generosity displayed. I’ve sat at the tables of women in Russia whose apartments were small and simple, and yet they lavished me with a warm welcome, wonderful food, and love. That’s generosity.

What lesson now should we learn? Let’s be generous. “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7,
NKJV
), and so does everyone else. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35,
NKJV
). So this week let’s make it a point to consciously be generous in a practical way, either in time, or kindness, or appreciative words. Don’t make it a chore—
Okay. I’ll do my three good deeds
. That’s not the idea. Ask the Lord to show you an opportunity. You’ll be amazed. It will not only make a difference in someone else’s day, but it will make a difference in yours.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

General William Booth of the Salvation Army was a man who spent his life in unselfish service. He once sent a Christmas greeting to his workers around the world. The message was a simple and yet profound word—
Others
. I love it. Doesn’t the thought of living this day with that motto stir you?
Others!

Let’s Pray

Lord, move my heart to be outward and generous. May I see and care about what you see and care about
others
.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 10:1–11:16; 2 Corinthians 12:11-21; Psalm 56:1-13; Proverbs 23:6-8

September 13

Wise Advice

     
Don’t waste your breath on fools,

          
for they will despise the wisest advice.

Who fits the biblical definition of being a fool? Proverbs 1:7 says that “fools despise wisdom and instruction” (
NKJV
). They don’t need more information. They don’t know because they don’t want to know. I believe this is true with some who reject the existence of God. Psalm 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (
NKJV
). They don’t know because they don’t want to know.

And why do some people remain foolish in the way that they live? Why do some people keep making the same mistakes over and over? Why is it that some will never listen, even when others speak the truth in love? The reason is they don’t want to change. They love their sin even though it makes them miserable. Jesus said in John 3:17, 19, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. . . . And this is the condemnation, that . . . men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (
NKJV
).

But this proverb is primarily instructing us on how we are to respond to someone who is stuck in stubborn foolishness of any kind. Don’t waste your breath. You can’t talk them out of it

On the other hand, mothers, if you have a stubborn, prodigal son, you can pray. If your friend is making bad decisions, you can pray. If your husband has turned his back on God, you can pray. “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous [wo]man avails much” (James 5:16,
NKJV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Let me break some bad news. All of us, even you and I, are sometimes stubborn, shortsighted, and foolish. Yes, it’s true. It is foolish to close our ears to wise counsel from others. But it is a tragic mistake to close our hearts to the nudging of the Holy Spirit. How can you tell when the Lord is speaking to you? Ask him. Do you feel a tug on your heart, a conviction in your spirit? Is there a topic or Scripture that keeps popping up? Ask God if he is trying to correct or warn or teach you something. When he confirms, your next step is to obey.

One Year Bible Reading

Isaiah 12:1–14:32; 2 Corinthians 13:1-13; Psalm 57:1-11; Proverbs 23:9-11