The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (81 page)

November 3

Cheap Shots

     
A lying tongue hates those it hurts.

Just recently I heard someone say something harsh and critical about a woman who is a popular speaker and Bible teacher. The bottom line was they heard her accused of saying one line in a message that could be construed as endorsing something unbiblical. First of all, they never listened to the entirety of the message. Secondly, they never investigated and listened to what she said to clarify the misunderstanding. Thirdly, they took someone else’s word that this woman was a false teacher. On further investigation, I discovered it all started with a website, a supposedly Christian website. The man who posted the volatile accusations has a history of taking cheap shots at people in the body of Christ who are famous or popular.

May I ask, what is that about? First of all, it’s not Christian. Certainly it is not Christlike. Yes, of course, we need accountability. But cheap shots do not qualify, really. If we bite and devour each other, the family of God is weakened.

So let’s get personal, and let’s be honest. Do we sometimes do that? I mean, are we sometimes unfairly harsh or critical? Could it be that we tear down others because we hate the fact that they are getting some kind of attention we wish we were getting? Well, shame on us.

A child once prayed, “Dear God, make all the bad people good, and make all the good people nice.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Developing a habit of truthfulness is the best antidote for a lying tongue. We can do little to correct another’s bad behavior. But God has made us personally accountable for our own. That’s good. The Holy Spirit himself will prick our heart when we’re amiss. That’s good too. If you sense the temptation rising to exaggerate or slant or just neglect the truth, send up an arrow prayer, asking the Lord to give you grace to say what’s right.

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossian 4:6,
NKJV
).

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 7:1–9:11; Hebrews 5:1-14; Psalm 105:1-15; Proverbs 26:28

November 4

Tomorrow

     
Do not boast about tomorrow,

     
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

I really love how the Proverbs cover every single facet of life. Here we come to the foolish habit of bragging. The reason that we aren’t to boast about tomorrow is because even though we would like to, we can’t really guarantee what tomorrow will bring, can we? Sometimes just one unexpected thing can change your entire day. Sometimes just one unexpected thing can change your entire life.

This does not mean, though, that we shouldn’t be diligent or plan for the future. In fact, the Proverbs tell us to observe the good habits of the ant. If you watch an ant, he’s focused, he’s busy. If you put something in his way, he doesn’t give up or get upset. He takes it in stride and finds a way around the obstacle. This is a good lesson for us as women. Good. Make plans. Be organized. You can have hopes and dreams for your future, for your home, for your kids, but don’t get so set on them that you think they’re set in stone. I love the expression “I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know who holds the future.”

So, dear sisters, let’s savor today and be thankful. “This is the day the L
ORD
has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24,
NIV
). The past is history, the future is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why they call it the
present
.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you ever had a great plan go askew? Of course you have. Robert Burns was plowing his field one day when he overturned a little mouse’s cozy nest. Perhaps he saw his own disappointments reflected in the upheaval. Sympathetically, he wrote, “Little Mouse, you are not alone, in proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes of mice and men go often awry, and leave us nothing but grief and pain.”

Poor mousie and poor Robert. Are we left with only a fatalistic view of life, fearing fate may deal us a bad hand? Absolutely not. When we place our lives entirely in the hands of God, like David, we can say, “The L
ORD
is my shepherd; I have all that I need” (Psalm 23:1).

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 10:1–11:25; Hebrews 6:1-20; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 27:1-2

November 5

Irrational

     
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,

     
But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them.

J. Vernon McGee explains, “If you have a fool angry with you, you are in trouble, because a fool has no discretion. He [or she] will say or do anything.”

A fool’s wrath is foolish because it’s irrational. It is irrational because it’s out of proportion with the offense. It is irrational because it often gathers steam instead of calming down with time. It is irrational because it’s often vented on innocent bystanders. It is irrational because it has no boundaries. Fools will say or do anything when they’re mad, with no sense of playing fair or thought of the consequences. It is irrational because it often begins with a response, turns into a bad habit, and becomes a cranky personality. This kind of getting mad and staying mad is heavy for everyone, because everyone loses.

I once saw a man at the airport obviously waiting for someone to arrive. He was holding an exceptionally pretty bouquet of flowers. I missed the initial greeting, but a few moments later I saw him walking behind a woman whose face was filled with wrath. He still held the rejected flowers and walked behind with shoulders stooped.

Missed moments, wasted flowers, a perpetual bad mood—all this is the end result of foolish wrath.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

     
There’s a grumpy little grouch, and he gets inside of me.

     
I don’t like him being there! I don’t like his company!

     
He makes me grouch and grumble at everyone I meet!

     
But . . . this grumpy little grouch doesn’t hang around for long.

     
He’ll vanish like a raindrop when I sing a happy song!

Let’s Pray

Lord, you know I sometimes get in a foolish and irrational frump. When I do, wake me up and shake me out of it. Remind me to turn on some praise music and sing away the grouch.

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 12:1–14:11; Hebrews 7:1-17; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 27:3

November 6

A Faithful Friend

     
Open rebuke is better

     
Than love carefully concealed.

     
Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

     
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

This proverb breaks the mold of thinking that silence is always golden or loving. In Matthew 18:15 Jesus tells us that we must learn how to deal with issues. He says, “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.”

I can honestly say that all of my truest and dearest friends have at one time or another corrected me. This takes courage. Let me share with you some things I’ve learned from them, not only what they shared but how they did it.

• In love they spoke
  to me
  , not about me, behind my back. I’m thankful for that.
  
• They prayed first and spoke later. Because of that, each time the Lord prepared my heart to hear and receive.
  
• In love they spoke the truth, the whole truth. The combination of kindness, clarity, and boldness is not hurtful but very, very helpful.
  

If any of these faithful and caring friends are reading this, let me say to you, “Thank you, really, thank you.” Samuel Coleridge said, “Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon and the deeper it sinks into the mind.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” What an intriguing and yet winsome truth.
Faithful
means “full of faith.” So first of all the friend who ventures to speak a word of correction must have faith. She must believe in you and trust that you will listen with grace. She must believe you are both humble and teachable. Speaking honestly is not easy, so she must believe you are worth the risk and effort. But lastly, a faithful friend must believe that mere words cannot change even a teachable friend. Transformation is a miracle. A faithful friend prays and believes that God, who formed our hearts, can also change them.

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 14:12–16:41; Hebrews 7:18-28; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 27:4-6