The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (77 page)

October 19

Doghouse

     
The north wind brings forth rain,

     
And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

     
It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop,

     
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

Brrr!
Like a cold wind and rain, both of these things make us shudder. Backbiting should be absolutely outlawed for us as godly women. We should not speak it or even listen to it. This kind of war of words is bad business, and it will show up as mud on everyone’s face.

The second half of our proverb is also a stiff warning. “It is better to dwell in the corner of a housetop, than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” A contentious woman is just plain trouble, trouble, trouble. She’s hard to live with, so she drives people away. Men are often in the doghouse with their wives, and in some cases, I think they’d rather live in one than with a woman who is always picking on them. Because, as my grandma used to say, “If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy”—because she’s gonna make sure nobody’s happy. As most men know, “Unhappy wife, unhappy life.”

So, ladies, let’s be sweet. Being hard to live with doesn’t solve any of the issues you’re stewing about. Here is your antidote for the day: “Therefore, as the elect of God . . . put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another; . . . even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Colossians 3:12,
NKJV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Dear sisters, when we emotionally put someone (our husbands for example) in the doghouse, we have banned him from our affections. Smiles and affection are replaced by frowns and coldness. We dole out little crumbs of kindness instead of being good-natured and generous. If we are not careful, what begins as an emotion develops a habit and can become our personality. Love turns the tide. Love is not just a feeling; love is first a decision, which we must then put into action. As Mitch Temple says, “The grass is greenest where you water it.”

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 33:1–34:22; 1 Timothy 4:1-16; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 25:23-24

October 20

Good News

     
As cold water to a weary soul,

     
So is good news from a far country.

When you feel discouraged or lonely or helpless, oh, how good it would be to hear good news. We long to hear that help is on the way.

I heard the story of a young mom with three small children whose husband was out of town. The phone rang. What a relief to hear a cheerful voice asking how she was. “Well,” she said, “the baby is sick, the dishwasher just broke, laundry is a mile high, and there are Cheerios all over the floor.”

“Don’t you worry,” the caller said. “I am coming right over. I’ll clean the kitchen, do the laundry, and take the kids to the park while you take a nap. And how is Tom?”

“Tom?” the mother asked. “My husband’s name is Jack.”

Silence. Then the caller said, “Oh, I must have the wrong number.”

Silence again. Then with a small little voice the young mother asked, “But are you still coming?”

“Are you stilling coming?” That’s a good question. So many struggling people wonder,
Is there any help on the horizon for me?

We all could use some good news from a far country. Jesus came all the way from heaven with a message of hope. In John 14:1-3 he said, “Let not your heart be troubled. . . . In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. . . . I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (
NKJV
). The good news is, yes, he is still coming!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

What difference does it really make to know that this life is temporary, that this is not all there is? I believe that it can and should make a radical difference. Revelation 21:1, 3-4 says, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. . . . ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’” Now that’s really good news.

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 35:1–36:32; 1 Timothy 5:1-25; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 25:25-27

October 21

Temptations

     
Whoever has no rule over his own spirit

     
Is like a city broken down, without walls.

In ancient days the wall around a city was the first line of defense. Bandits and wild animals roamed the land; without a wall a city was vulnerable. Without self-control we are also vulnerable. Matthew Henry explained, “All that is good goes out, and forsakes [us]; all that is evil breaks in upon [us. We lie] exposed to all the temptations of Satan, and [we become] an easy prey to that enemy.”

Think of about it, ladies. We have temptations calling our name everywhere we go. Temptation says, “Don’t clean the house now. Watch that outrageous TV show instead.” Or “It’s okay—you can stop every morning to get a double mocha with whipped cream.” Temptation says, “Go ahead. You don’t have to control your anger. You can blow your top anytime you feel like it.” But without self-control, it all adds up, inch by inch. It piles up and tears us down. We become miserable, but we forget that it’s our own careless doing.

When we’re ready to change, God is ready to help. He empowers you to say no. The first step is to slam the door on temptation. “Make no provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14,
NKJV
). How can we do that? Confession: I have absolutely no willpower to resist rocky road ice cream. None. Last week my dear husband brought some home. After the first bowl, I wanted to sit on the couch and eat the entire half-gallon. So I took the carton outside and shoved it deep in the trash. Kind of radical? Yes. Effective? Absolutely!

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you ever noticed that brand-new Christians sometimes become hyperlegalistic overnight? I did. Why is that? I believe it’s partly a knee-jerk reaction; they are so glad to be free from their old lives, they want to leave them as far behind as possible. But I also believe the Holy Spirit is putting spiritual training wheels on them. They’re like toddlers learning to walk. It’s an exciting and beautiful thing to watch. Hopefully, God’s Word, spiritual maturity, and self-control gradually replace mere rules. Will you ask God to put a new Christian in your life that you can invest in, encourage, and disciple as she learns to walk?

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 37:1–38:28; 1 Timothy 6:1-21; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 25:28

October 22

An Undeserved Curse

     
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,

          
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.

As an old saying has it, “Curses are like young chickens; they always come home to roost.”

Maybe you’re reading today and you are in turmoil because of some unfair and untrue things that have been said about you. We can lose sleep over this. Our fear of those words can be like wild birds that you can’t get your hands on. We can withdraw from people, thinking everyone is hearing and believing these things. Then worse yet, we can try to fight back with a war of words. I am sad to say I have done all of the above, and yet doing these things did not give me any peace.

So what should we and could we do? Let me give you three things.

1. If someone has slandered you, first of all, take it to the Lord. Don’t you remember that Jesus was falsely accused? It helps to know that he understands. “Blessed,” he said, “are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake” (Matthew 5:10,
   NKJV
   ).
   
2. This is the hardest. Put a guard on your mouth. Two wrongs don’t make a right. The Bible tells us, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:20,
   KJV
   ).
   
3. Be patient. I know this is easier said than done, but what goes around does come around. If the harsh words that were said about you are untrue, they will not land on you. They will fly home “like chickens to roost” on the one who said them.
   

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you ever been ridiculed for your faith or for taking a stand on morality? You’re in good company. Just hours before Jesus was arrested and condemned to death, he said these tragic words: “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. . . . This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures : ‘They hated me without cause’” (John 15:18-19, 25).

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 39:1–41:18; 2 Timothy 1:1-18; Psalm 90:1–91:16; Proverbs 26:1-2