The One Year Wisdom for Women Devotional: 365 Devotions through the Proverbs (82 page)

November 7

Bitter to Sweet

     
A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,

     
But to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

We live in a society that takes so much for granted, don’t we? We eat before we’re truly hungry. We buy shoes when we have ten pairs that we never wear. Kids often have more toys than they’ll ever play with.

Satiated
means when we have too much, we don’t really enjoy any of it. But “to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.” That might sound like an odd statement, but think about it. Think about something you had to work for, save for, wait for. Then when you got it, you savored it. Moms, we deprive our kids of this when they get everything they want when they want it.

Let me apply this proverb in one more way. Some people who have grown up in a Christian home with loving parents become prodigals because they don’t really appreciate the blessings of their parents or their heritage. But our proverb today tells us, “To a hungry soul, every bitter thing is sweet.”

Pastor Greg Laurie wrote the story of his life growing up in a broken, dysfunctional home. His book is called
Lost Boy
. In it he shares the great blessing and joy he now has knowing that he has a heavenly Father who loves him and will never leave him or forsake him. Even though he’s gone through a bitter tragedy with the death of his son Christopher, he is drawing deeply on the sweetness of knowing that God’s grace is sufficient.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Today I spoke with a single mom who was feeling at the end of her rope. She’s behind on her rent and was afraid to face her landlord. Finally she got the courage to answer his phone calls. Feeling this was the end, she had spent the morning trying to accept the inevitable. Then a small reprieve came in the form of grace and understanding. Her tears of despair turned into tears of joy. Her rent is still due. But she hung up the phone with hope in her heart. Are you at wit’s bitter end? There is nothing sweeter than to see the grace of the Lord show up in your hour of need.

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 16:42–17:24; Hebrews 8:1-13; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 27:7-9

November 8

True Blue

     
Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,

          
and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you—

          
better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Albert Barnes gives an excellent explanation. “Better is a neighbor who is really ‘near’ in heart and spirit, than a brother who though closer . . . by blood, is ‘far off’ in feeling.”

So the topic of this proverb is the importance of friendships. My dear sisters, we need friends—good, true, honest, godly friends—and we need to be that for others. The Proverbs tell us that “those who are to have friends, must show themselves friendly.” Don’t mope around that you have no buddies, be a buddy to someone who has no buddies.

It’s been said, “Money might make you wealthy, but having friends makes you rich.” Helen Keller said, “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”

We live in a world of disposable relationships. But “easy come, easy go” should never apply to relationships. Benjamin Franklin understood and advised, “Be slow in choosing a friend, and even slower in changing.” When you look at the life of a man like Billy Graham, it’s a testimony to his character that he has close ministry friends who have stayed with him for over fifty years.

And then, there is Jesus. He is incomparable. In the last hours of his life, he taught us what loyal friendship truly looks like. John 13:1 tells us, “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end” (
NKJV
).

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Digging deep and being a true-blue friend is our topic today. So let me ask you, when was the last time you truly went the extra mile for someone? When was the last time you intentionally invested in making a friendship stronger? Can you honestly say you know what your closest friends are going through? Have you called and prayed with them lately? Making you feel guilty is not the point. Cheering you on to reconnect in a proactive personal way
is
. So bake some cupcakes, say a prayer, linger in a conversation, write a card. As James Taylor says, “Shower the people you love with love, show them the way that you feel.”

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 18:1–19:14; Hebrews 9:1-10; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 27:10

November 9

Make Your Father Proud

     
Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;

          
then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

Moms, when our children are little there are times when we wish we could, at least temporarily, not claim them—like when they knock over a display in a store or spill their milk in a restaurant.

But seriously, when they’re older, it’s a great heartache to a parent when a child goes down a wrong path. We worry. We feel pain for our child. We grieve when we see the consequences and complications bad choices bring to their life. We feel our own pain because of the lost dream we had for their life. And then, truthfully, there’s a shame. We feel reproached. We wonder how we failed them. Every parent of a prodigal knows these heartaches.

But now let’s apply this to ourselves, because we are daughters of God the Father. God is saying to us, “Be wise, my [child], and bring joy to my heart.” We are to walk worthy of him who called us. I have to tell you, I’ve talked to many people who reject God because of the ungodly behavior of one of God’s children or so-called children. When David fell into adultery, one of the tragic results was that it caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.

Therefore, as a child of God, always remember you carry his noble name. Wherever you go, whatever you do, be a blessing. Let’s make our Father proud.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Can we, mere humans, actually bring joy to the Lord of the universe? Does our behavior and character affect how others see him? Jesus said that we absolutely can and it does. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:14-16). This is a sober responsibility and yet an exciting possibility. Let’s do it. Let’s let our lights shine. Let’s make our Father proud!

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 20:1-49; Hebrews 9:11-28; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 27:11

November 10

Danger, Danger!

     
A prudent person foresees the danger and takes precautions.

          
The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

As women living in this generation, this proverb can save our lives. We need to wake up. Second Timothy 3:1-6 tells us, “Know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money . . . without self-control . . . despisers of good . . . lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God . . . from such people turn away! For . . . [they] creep into households and make captives of gullible women . . . led astray by various lusts” (
NKJV
).

This is a blow-by-blow description of what’s broadcast on this season’s series of sleazy, mean-spirited, sex-filled TV. It’s broadcast in TV talk shows, trashy movies, and music, at school, and in the workplace. It seems everywhere people are talking about immoral and just plain wicked things. Don’t be naive. Don’t think you can swim in the cesspool and not get polluted.

God has given us a built-in alert system. Turn it on; tune it in. Pay attention when God gives you an inner uneasiness; that’s both discernment and conviction. In our neighborhood we have rats, the kind with tails. The exterminator advised us to seal up the cracks so they can’t squeeze in.
Exactly
. Take precautions. Precautions range from putting a filter on your computer to being careful about how you dress. Better safe than sorry. Or as my grandma used to say, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

I have a rat story. We used to leave the back door open so the dog could come and go. But one day I discovered our dog wasn’t the only one making an entrance. There was evidence of a rat, a big one. I hate rats. But I didn’t set a trap until I found his droppings in my kitchen. Yuck. How about you? Will you honestly and bravely look around your inner world and see if a rat of sinful, selfish, or worldly attitudes is roaming around in your thoughts or emotions?

Let’s Pray

Lord, I shudder to think of a rat inside my house. Help this picture alert me to see that sin carries worse filth and disease. Have I compromised? Have I left the door open? Please cleanse my heart, make me careful, and keep me safe.

One Year Bible Reading

Ezekiel 21:1–22:31; Hebrews 10:1-17; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 27:12