Justice for all

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

JUSTICE FOR ALL

Prov 29:4

4 By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

NIV

History records for us this truth within kingdoms where a man would almost bring himself to ruin selling or giving gifts to the king or queen in order to receive a favorable judgment in a case. Certainly our form of government was established to prevent such abuses of power. However we as through the formation of special interests groups who employ lobbyists to persuade judgments or legislation favorable to their cause by giving special gifts to those who govern. Greed is always fed in order to achieve a goal. It is only when a truly just person serves the people in governing, our land will experience stability. Unfortunately whenever we deal with mankind, it is unlikely we will ever find this just king. Some may appear to be concerned with justice, but in reality most of mankind is subject to some form of greed.  It would be a rare person indeed who could serve as king, president, emperor or dictator and govern without greed, but with justice. Again we are faced with the idea of God being the only king who rules with justice and gives the people of his kingdom stability. Satan would be the one who is greedy, wanting what God has, and accepts the bribes of people, offering their soul for a moment of pleasure, which may be their whole life, but in terms of eternity, a life is but a moment. Nevertheless we are citizens of the kingdom of God and our king is just, he rules with true justice and because of him we can live in stability. We are not tossed about on the high seas by every kind of doctrine, and the lies of the false prophets. We are not blown about by the wind unable to take a stand. We are not deceived by the lies of the devil and wander in the wrong direction of get diverted onto the wrong path. We live under the stability of a just king. He gives us his armor to protect us from any possible attack that would bring us down. But because God is so just, no man could ever possibly stand before him innocent. That is why God satisfied his own justice by sending his Son to die for us, so that through accepting his sacrifice, we could be declared innocent, holy and blameless in his sight. That is true justice and it brings complete stability in our lives. God cannot be bribed, we cannot pay him anything to receive this justice, it is his free gift to all who will believe. We can only thank him, and praise him for being the King who governs with justice. 

Seeking wisdom

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

SEEKING WISDOM

Prov 29:3

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

NIV

There is certainly something to be said about this in an earthly or worldly manner, but that would have to be from the perspective of having a father of good character. There might well be human fathers who care not about what their son does, or for that matter encourage them toward evil rather than righteousness. The whole truth of this proverb is dependent on the character of the father and the amount of wealth he has. So then we are left with no other means to see the truth here then to know the father here is our Heavenly Father. He would truly be joyful if we were to ask him for wisdom. We merely have to consider Solomon in his request for wisdom as an example of what joy he brought to the Father. He was so filled with joy over Solomon’s request he not only gave him much wisdom, but also a great deal of wealth.

1 Kings 3:4-15

 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." 6 Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. 7 "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?" 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. 11 So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, 12 I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. 13 Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for — both riches and honor — so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. 14 And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." 15 Then Solomon awoke — and he realized it had been a dream.

NIV

So we see what truly pleases the Father. We should use this as our own request, rather than to ask for his provision for our daily bread, although that does not displease him either. But when we are always about our need the things of the world which include food, clothes and housing, our prayer is always about us. Could that be in some sense squandering the potential wealth that could be ours on prostitutes? That is if we are so focused or concerned about the state of our affairs in the here and now, could it be like committing adultery with the world? But if we seek first his kingdom, his wisdom, his righteousness, putting that at the forefront of our prayer, it would seem the Father would be greatly pleased and filled with joy over our request. In fact he assures us that if we seek his wisdom above all else he will also add all the temporal needs of this life. Just as he did for Solomon, so he would do for us. Of course this seeking his wisdom must be from a pure, single-minded heart. We cannot ask for wisdom, looking for the result of riches. We must seek God simply for the reason of knowing him more and seeking his wisdom and that alone. Let us not be a companion of this world, but rather a child of the Father, a friend of Jesus, a co-heir with Jesus and let us focus our heart on him, seeking wisdom and guidance from God. He will take care of the rest. 

Rejoice or Groan

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

REJOICE OR GROAN

Prov 29:2

2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

NIV

That may not be as true as it appears for so many times people do not rejoice when someone of a righteous character is at the head of the government. Sometimes the people are deceived by the wicked into believing the wicked are not so and are actually for the people. We have read of this happening throughout the history of mankind. Wicked men rise to power because of their deceptive words. When a righteous person rises to power some people may rejoice but there will be others whose main purpose in life is to destroy the character and thus the person so some wicked person may step in the place of power. Yet we have history to tell us that many people do in fact groan under the oppressiveness of wicked rulers. The Jewish people have known this throughout their history. We have seen this, not to the extent of countries under dictatorships, in our country. Over the years we have had some very good, righteous leaders, and some very bad wicked leaders. We, at least, have the ability to change the course of our lives through the power of a republic. But there is something deeper here below the surface of worldly affairs. When we are under the rule of the wickedness of the devil there will indeed be groaning heard for eternity. He is the prince of lies, spreading his deceptive words promising people prosperity in this life, but at a cost he tells them not of, their soul. We, however, the believers of God, live under the rule of his righteousness. When God thrives in our hearts we indeed rejoice. When he is the true and righteous king of our lives, we will not only rejoice in this life, but for all eternity. Yet there is always that battle which wages within us. It should not, but indeed it is there, the devil will always try to steal our joy, our rejoicing because we have a righteous God as our Lord. If we have a divided heart, allowing God only a portion of it, while we use the other portion for our own personal gain, being deceived by the devil into believing that is how God would have us to live, we might experience some groaning in this life. When we thrive in our life with God, rejoicing is going to happen. When we allow any wickedness to rule in our heart, we groan over it, we might become despondent thinking we are wicked. But that is a lie of the devil. God has declared us holy and righteous in his sight. He has set us apart for him. He has justified us, sanctified us and made us his own. Nothing can take us from his hand, not the devil, nor our sin. However, it is possible we can jump out of his hand, reject him and seek self rather than him. But then we will groan for we will be once again under the horrible influence of the devil. Just as Bob Dylan once wrote the lyrics, “You got to serve somebody, you’re either going to serve the Lord or the Devil, but you are going to serve somebody”, we will indeed either rejoice or groan.  

Stiff-necked or pliable

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

STIFF-NECKED OR PLIABLE

Prov 29:1

A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed — without remedy.

NIV

Certainly this is speaking to those who have not and will not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We who believe are saved by faith, so that no one can boast about how much they did or how better they accepted correction then another. Although it is true the Lord may rebuke through his word for every scripture is God-breathe.

2 Tim 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

NIV

However, we surely would respond to any of those areas of our life which we either need teaching, rebuking, correcting or training in righteousness. It would seem unconscionable for a believer to remain stiff-necked. However, maybe we are stiff-necked in some areas of our life. One of those might be in our interpretation of his word. We all have a tendency to remain steadfast in our ideas of what the scripture or Christianize terms mean. Maybe we confuse stiff-necked with steadfastness or maybe we should call it stubbornness. We should always remain open to the Spirit who leads us into all truth. Because there is only one God, one Father, one Son, and one Holy Spirit, it would seem right to believe there is only one truth. So then some of us who have differing opinions of the truth have to be wrong and are stiff-necked in our refusal to accept truth we believe is not truth. We have stuck ourselves in the pitfall of denominational doctrines or statements of faith. This, of course, does not and should not confine us from fellowshipping with believers who see the scriptures in a differing view.  But we should understand that we should always be ready to accept the Lord’s correction and/or his rebuking when we are in error. It may be most believers consider correcting and rebuking regarding some area of sin in their lives. Surely God desires us to live as righteous as we can, but then we cannot, for we have no righteousness. Although we should make no provisions for the body, the flesh, we have to admit we cannot stop from committing sin, we cannot be completely free of sin. That is why we needed to accept and remain in Christ, for in him we are holy and blameless in his sight. In Christ we are righteous already, although in the body we fail to achieve righteousness. But as far as the person who is truly the stiff-necked about accepting Jesus, that person will in fact come to destruction suddenly. When the day of judgement comes, which no one knows when, those who refused to accept Jesus will not inherit eternal life, but destruction, whatever that means, and it will be without remedy. That is, when the judgement is made, it is final, no second changes, no cure for their destruction. But we have the cure for both us and for them. We can refuse to be stiff-necked and remain open to the moving of the Spirit in our lives. We can share the gospel message with those who have not accepted Christ in hopes the Spirit will be able to break through their stiff-necked thoughts of humanism or down-right wrong thinking. But we must make sure we have not become so set in our ways, we are or have become stiff-necked in our theology. Let us always remain pliable in the hands of the potter, so that we can be formed and reshaped whenever needed and be used as the vessel he intends us to be.  

No hiding, Just thriving

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO HIDING, JUST THRIVING

Prov 28:28

28 When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding; but when the wicked perish, the righteous thrive.

NIV

We have certainly seen this truth bore out in the past, both far and near as well even in our present day. The Jewish people have needed to go into hiding more than once in their history as a people of God. The most recent was during the wicked reign of Adolf Hitler in Germany. If they were not able to hide they were exterminated. Christianity has had its moments in history as well of needing to go into hiding during the reign of wicked kings or emperors. But are we subject to this truth today? In some countries is would seem Christians still need to hide in order not to be murdered or tortured for their faith. Yet in our country, according to our principles established in our constitution and further amendments we enjoy the freedom of religion, to be able to worship whoever, however we chose. Of course there is some truth in the fact that we are not totally free to express our faith in the Almighty God as openly as we once did. There has been and still are some people in power who would suppress the Christian faith in favor of humanism. It may not be that we actually need to hide in caves or withhold showing ourselves in public, but we may be subject to some form of persecution at times. Certain employers forbid sharing our faith in the work place. Some communities’ leaders have signed laws forbidding the public expression of Christianity during the Christmas season by keeping the public square free of any manger scenes. Humanism is an enemy of our faith which tries to put us in hiding. We are certainly able to gather in our places of worship, but then there are people who hate so much that in recent days they have entered shooting everyone they can. The wicked always hate the people of faith, maybe not openly, but surely in their heart. When we truly have a free and open sociality, the righteous will be able to thrive. Although we have seen the righteous thrive even under suppression governments, such as in China. The church is alive and well, although is exists underground, in hiding. We too can thrive in whatever setting we live in. Believers are able, if nothing more than in their spirits, thrive because of the Spirit who dwells within them. We can all thrive no matter the worldly circumstances we live in, because we have a just and righteous God in power of our lives. Can we experience hardships because of the wicked in power? Are they truly in power, or are they simply tools of God to bring about spiritual growth in his people? It would seem that was the case of Israel in the past. Maybe that is the case for all believers in all times. Does hardship increase our faith or destroy it? Why should we ever decide to hide? Let us live our faith out loud, taking whatever comes our way, standing firm against any of the attacks of the first wicked power in this world, the serpent, the devil, Satan himself. Let us take our stand against the forces of evil, of the wicked. No hiding, just thriving.

Give

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GIVE

Prov 28:27

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

NIV

This would affirm the fact that it is blessed to give rather than receive, unless you are among the poor. If among the poor it is surely good to receive, but that would depend on the generosity of those who have enough to give. Yet how much is needed in order to give? We have to think of the time when Jesus was sitting in the temple watching people bring their offerings. The rich Pharisees gave much, but Jesus made note of a poor lady who gave so little.

Luke 21:1-4

21:1 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.   3 "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." 

NIV

It would seem those who have a lot of money can afford to give to the needy without depleting their own needs or wants for that matter. But the issue at hand is not about how much we have or not have but that we do not close our eyes to the needs of those who are without any means at all. This might have been a larger issue in the times these proverbs were written and throughout the Old Testament up to and through the time of Christ. It may have been even up to the more modern times we live in today. We surely still have those without means, or who would be considered the poor. Yet in our modern culture with large government programs to care for the needy, we do not even see the poor as they might have in those days. Surely from one point of view anyone could be considered the poor by someone. A person who makes one million dollars a year might consider someone who makes twenty thousand a year poor. In this sense it would be all relative as to who is the poor. Yet the Hebrew word translated poor means to be destitute. That would imply without any means of support, totally dependent on the gifts of others. These are the people we should not close our eyes to. It is difficult to not prejudge those who do stand on the roadside at intersections or exit ramps with signs asking for money to buy food. It might be easier to give at church in hopes the church has some program of giving to the needy, but then does that fit with this proverb? No, it would seem we need to have an open eye and when we see a person in need, simply give. God, who knows all things, sees the heart and knows we are giving out of compassion. Who is to judge the sign bearing person? Sometimes we think there are just milking the people and do not want to work. Maybe they want the money to buy drink or drugs. We think all sorts of evil about them and in essence we are closing our eyes to them. We pass them by without giving. This is the only case in which we truly could give to the needy from a personal point of view, unless we went out driving looking for some needy people in the city. Then how would we know who is needy and who is not? So we simply need to make a commitment to keep our eyes open and when we see a person in need, a person asking for help, give. What is ten dollars to us? What is twenty dollars to us? Did not God say that if we give we will lack nothing? Seriously we simply need to open our eyes and when we see the needy, give. 

Walk in wisdom

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

WALK IN WISDOM

Prov 28:26

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

NIV

This is a repeated theme throughout the whole of scripture. Certainly the truth is not only unseen by, who God calls, the fool, but he ridicules those who trust in the Lord. There is a great deception upon the earth which lures people into trusting in themselves. There may be a mindset that at the core of the issue is about salvation. The self-reliant still may believe in a heaven and hell, but also may well believe just being a good person, by their own definition, will get them to heaven. This self-definition is again a self-trusting attitude which God says is foolish. But this trusting in the flesh is not simply related to salvation, but to the everyday life in the here and now. We cannot even keep ourselves from sinning, how foolish to put any trust in ourselves. This self-trust in fact brings a curse.

Jer 17:5-6

5 This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. 6 He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes. He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

NIV 

There is such a lack of love, joy, peace or contentment in the parched places of the desert. There is also a lack of truth, their lives are a wasteland where truth does not grow. But for those who walk in wisdom, which is defined by God as walking in wisdom, there are blessings. It is foolish to trust self, but it is wise to trust God. This certainly applies to salvation, but it also applies to every aspect of life in the here and now.

Jer 17:7-8

7 "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

NIV

How much more could we ever want then to receive this kind of promise from God for simply putting our trust in him? Having faith that he will not only save us and give us eternal life, but that in our everyday walk he will keep our leaves green, and we will remain without fear when the heat, or any trouble comes our way. We will not worry because of a season of drought. That is when times might look a little lean in the material sense. As long as we have our roots planted in the stream, which certainly implies Jesus, the stream of living water, we will always prosper both spiritually and physically, never failing to bear fruit. This is truly walking in wisdom, regardless of what the world, or the fool, might say. Trusting in God is pure wisdom, the purest form of wisdom. The fool would say that education brings wisdom, but it only brings knowledge. That was the very first deception by the serpent. He deceived Eve to think by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they would be like God. No wisdom was used, but only self-trust in knowledge. All wisdom comes from God, if any of us lacks any wisdom at all we merely only have to ask God for it.

James 1:4-5

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

NIV

So then, let us not be subject to any of the deception the devil has to offer, such as, God helps those who help themselves, but let us simply tell God we trust him. That would be walking in wisdom. 

No other way

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO OTHER WAY

Prov 28:25

25 A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.

NIV

We cannot be sure why this translation used the word greedy when others use the word a man with a proud heart. The original language reads; a proud heart stirs up strife, he the puts his trust in the Lord shall be made fat. It might be understood that a person who has a proud heart is one who puts his trust in himself. The person believes in his own abilities to generate wealth and thus would in that sense be greedy. Greed is one form of self-reliance, always wanting what the heart wants and wanting it now, spending ever effort to achieve that want. We know from previous proverbs that pride only breeds quarrels.

Prov 13:10

10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

NIV

This would agree with the greedy or proud hearted person stirring up dissension or causing strife. It would have to make sense that someone who is strictly looking out for their own interests either in the material or spiritual aspects of life would create an atmosphere of dissension or strife. This would seem to them to be a way to promote their own agenda of advancing their position. Yet this proverb shows us a contrast of two people. Because the person who puts his trust in the Lord will be made fat, will prosper, the other pride-hearted person will be made thin. They will be made lean spirituality and may well also be made lean in temporal goods. But since all goods are temporal, all wealth is but a fleeting moment in the grand scheme of eternity, and therefore it is far wiser to put our trust in the Lord. In doing so we will be made fat spirituality and according to the Lord if we seek first his kingdom he will add all the temporal goods we need, those the pagans, or the ones with a prideful heart chase after. Having all the material needs being added unto us is certainly not the reason to put our trust in the Lord. It is merely a result provided by him for placing our complete trust in him. The main point is by trusting in the Lord we will be made fat spirituality, we will not be made lean. We will gain eternal life, for the Lord is life. He has told us that he is the truth the life and the way.

John 14:6-7

6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." 

NIV

This is the reason we put our trust in him, there is no other way to live, both in eternity and the here and now. 

Rob not, instead give

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

ROB NOT, INSTEAD GIVE

Prov 28:24

24 He who robs his father or mother and says, "It's not wrong" — he is partner to him who destroys.

NIV

Our first thoughts turn to the fact of how wrong it would be to rob from our parents. Who in their right might would break into their parent’s home as a common thief to take their property?  But is that the only way in which we could rob our parents? Or is that the only way our children could rob us? The idea that all our parents own is one day going to be ours could stimulate or encourage the child or children to demand their inheritance now, such as the prodigal son did. If all the parents have will one day be the child’s then how could it be wrong to take it sooner? That is the thinking which is being portrayed in this proverb. But that is not how children should think about all their parents own. If they plot in any way to achieve the property of the parents before the appointed time of inheritance due to the death of the parents, they are partners with the destroyer, who is the devil. But is this limited to the thief of material goods? What about stealing the reputation of the parents? When children talk poorly of their parents, is it not robbing the parents of their dignity. Many parents due their level best to be good parents, but do have, like all people, faults. None of us are perfect and children should not expect the perfect parents as parents should not expect a perfect child. But if we speak poorly of them, although truth may be told, speaking poorly is in essence putting them down, robbing them of their reputation. We never see Jesus ever speaking anything but praise for the Father. That should be our example. It matters not the material wealth of people, or the social position, parents are the individuals who have given life to the children. Yes, God has knit us all together in our mother’s womb, but it took, by the design of God, a man and a woman to create a new life within them. They cared for, feed, clothed, loved, and cared for the needs of the child. The parents did the best they could, of course there is always a few exceptions, but we are talking about the average set of parents. Many parents sacrificed things they wanted to their children could have something. Many parents today look for the best place to live so their children can go to a better school. So much is done by parents for their children and many times it goes unnoticed. Children who are either ungrateful or disrespectful of their parents might well be robbing their parents of experiencing the joy of being parents. One of the Ten Commandments is to honor your father and mother.

Ex 20:12

12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

NIV

Deut 5:16

16 "Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

NIV

Eph 6:1-3

6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother"-which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."  

NIV           

That is pretty much the whole of the idea here. If we do not honor our parents we will have but a short life. If our children do not honor us as parents their lives will be cut short. By not giving honor to the parents, the child is actually robbing them of the honor they should receive as commanded by God. So then let us not rob, but give. Children should not rob their parents of anything, dignity, reputation, or honor. They should add to the dignity, reputation and honor of their parents. 

Free of flattery

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FREE OF FLATTERY

Prov 28:23

23 He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.

NIV

It would seem that flattery is not such a good thing after all. When we are always giving a flattering word, the person might think they are just a really good person or how wonderful they are. Maybe sometimes people do good things, such as the choir might sing especially well and of course we flatter them, maybe not with words, but with applause. When asked about this applause some might say they are applauding God. But come on, let’s get real, because we never applaud the pastor after his sermon which is just as much of, maybe more, God then a choir singing. We applaud the singers because we can’t sing, maybe they can’t either but is sounds pretty good and we applaud them. We flatter people when they do something special, we applaud our children for their Christmas play. There are all sorts of ways we give praise to people which is flattery. But it may be the worst type of flattery when we tell people they are such good Christians. Hopefully no one ever tells us that. It is not good to be flattered all the time. It stunts our growth in both our humanity and our spirituality. Although it might sound good to our ears, we gain nothing by a flattering tongue. This should give us a reason to ponder on giving praise or flattery to others. They gain nothing by flattery nor do we. It would seem if we are truthful with a friend, telling them they are in error in some way, we both gain. They gain insight into improvement by some type of change in their behavior or attitude, and we gain more favor in both their eyes and God’s. Being honest about someone’s need to make a correction brings a deeper relationship. Flattery may only bring a meaningless relationship. So it would seem we should be about living in relationship so that we might assist each other in both our journey in our humanity and our spirituality. However in considering this statement perhaps we cannot separate humanity from spirituality, as we are to offer our humanity as a living sacrifice.

Rom 12:1

12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.

NIV

So we offer our humanity as a living sacrifice, our spirituality. They are intertwined, being one, the whole of us. Therefor it is for our good to hear a rebuke or give a rebuke. Flattery is just praise from men, and we are to strife for praise from God. The purest 

stingy or Generous

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

STINGY OR GENEROUS

Prov 28:22

22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.

NIV

The term that it is more blessed to give than receive may be at the core of this truth. Someone who is stingy is so because they are so focused on their own monetary position in life. This is the person who serves money rather than God. This may well be said of those who profess their faith in Jesus Christ , yet are still seeking a well balance financial portfolio hoping they have enough stored up for the later years in their lives. This speaks to the rich farmer who had such an abundant crop he had to tear down his old barns to build new bigger ones. It always amazed us that all he had to do was built one new very big barn to store the extra crop he harvested. But no, he had to make a big show of his abundance of wealth by tearing all the barns he was able to store his normal yearly harvest in. All he needed was one more barn. Yet he did the big show, then thought to himself he now had so much he could retire.

Luke 12:18-19

18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." 

  NIV 

He was stingy eager to get rich and was unaware of the poverty that awaited him.

Luke 12:20-21

20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." 

NIV

Stingy and being for God simply do not mix. We cannot be so focused on our material goods thinking they are only for ourselves, while we profess a belief in Jesus. What we have is not just for us, but for anyone God shows us has a need. Of course this applies to the material, but it also applies to spiritual matters. If we are stingy with the gospel message it will bring us to our own brand of poverty. If we have the so to speak, us four and no more attitude we are, in essence, being stingy. If we prejudge people as not good candidates for believers we are being stingy. If we say, “I can’t share the gospel, I don’t know the bible well enough”, then we are being stingy. We are simply making excuses for being unable or unwilling to give people the opportunity to make their own choice to accept or reject Jesus. If we think like that we need to reassess our thinking. We need to be generous with both our material goods as well as with the good news. People have needs, material and spiritual. However, although money might supply some temporary need in life, the spiritual needs of people, when met, will supply eternal needs. How can we ever, ever be stingy with an eternal need in a person’s life? Do we think our stinginess will win us a reward? Not hardly. So then we need to rid ourselves of any sense of being stingy. That would then mean we need more of being generous. 

Favoritism

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO FAVORITISM

Prov 28:21

21 To show partiality is not good —yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.

NIV

This speaks to the issue of being partial to special people, such as those who are our friends or because someone who is a gentlemen or scholar, or to someone who has done a nice thing for us, or might do a nice thing for us. It is also possible we could show partiality to those who believe the same as we do, or are at least of the same persuasion as we are. This also speaks to the opposite side of that coin that we do not show any partiality to those who are not of the same persuasion as we are, or belong to an opposing political party or do not consider the same moral issues we hold dear as wrong.  We see this played out in the illustration shown to us through James.

James 2:1-4

2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. patty2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

NIV

Showing partiality is the same as showing favoritism. We are told that God is not a respecter of people.

Acts 10:34-35

34 Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.

NIV

This showing favoritism leads a person down a path that will bring them to looking for mere scraps from the table. They will do wrong for the slightest benefit to themselves. The reason we are partial to someone is for some reason, and in most cases it is for our own benefit. When we can see all people, no matter their appearance, no matter their social, economic or religious views as equals, all being the among the creation of God and see them as he does, we can then live without showing favoritism.

Rom 2:11

11 For God does not show favoritism.

NIV

Faithful

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FAITHFUL

Prov 28:20

20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

NIV

This is not much different than the day before. This eagerness to get rich might be a prevailing ambition of many people. We have been programmed from early life to succeed in whatever we do. As of late there are more and more advertisements about wealth management. Sometimes it seems the advertising is more about the accumulation of wealth then spending money on stuff. One local radio show has a person who talks for two hours every day, and his show must be syndicated, about how to keep more of your money. Yet, here we are, the believer, caught in the middle of society, living among those who are eager to get rich and we must somehow see that as the opposite of being faithful. That is the point of this proverb. Faithful on one hand and eager to get rich on the other. Again it is an either/or and not a both/and. So being faithful has to be not just the best, but the only, attitude we must approach life with. We have to see the foolishness of chasing the rainbow of wealth. That system of living will not go unpunished. Again it comes down to not being about to serve two masters. So let us be faithful. 

Fantasy or reality

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FANTASY OR REALITY

Prov 28:19

19 He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

NIV

We would surely want to consider that Adam was told he would have to toil the soil all the days of his life and it would be by the sweat of his brow crops would produce food for him. This certainly speaks to the idea that retirement was not a part of the plan of God, but rather of men. Again if we would consider the rich farmer who had such an abundant crop that he had to tear down all his old barns in order to build newer bigger ones in order to store up all his profits and think than he could sit back and retire. We noticed the he was not rich toward God, did not consider God’s plan and the fact his great wealth could be shared with others, God took his life the very night he decided to retire. The idea here in this proverb is that we are to work for our sustenance and we will have a good life. The get rich quick schemes are the fantasies of fools. Perhaps we might even be bold enough to think the storing up of wealth is the fantasies of fools, like the rich farmer, they put their trust in their wealth rather than God and the fact we are to work the land all the days of our lives, therefor no need to store up so we can sit back and take life easy. At least this is how it seems, maybe we have the wrong approach on the way God designed us and his plan for our lives. However there is one more way we could see this proverbs as to working the land. This land could be applied to our spirit. We are to work our spirit, which is to make it grow by being completely connected to the source of all wisdom. Studying the word of God, spending time alone with him, not so much speaking our lists of needs, but listening to his still small voice whispering truths into our spirit. How can we work our spirit when we are oh so busy using our mouth? God gave us two ears but only one mouth, surely he intended us to listen twice as much as we talk. Working our spirit, being one with the Spirit allows him to produce an abundant crop of fruit within us. It takes effort, work, to be one with the Spirit, it requires faith in him to do that which is best in our lives. This is the idea when God gave us his armor to guard every aspect of ourselves. We are told in four different ways to take our stand, to stand then, to stand our ground and when we have done everything, to stand firm. That is something like working our land, our spirit, being a partner with God in the growth of our being so it will produce a great crop. On the opposite side of the coin the one who chases after the fantasies of this world, thinking the world has the answers of life will ultimately be in poverty. Maybe not materially, but certainly spiritually.

Matt 16:24-26

 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?

NIV

It is a fool’s errand to chase after the fantasies of this world, for in doing so he forfeits his soul. Is it possible to be both? No, not at all. God has declared to us we cannot chase after him and after the world. We cannot serve both God and money. We either work the land, or we end up in poverty. We either live for God or we die. He is life, the world is death, how can we experience both wealth and poverty, life and death. It is an either/or not an both/and. Let us work our spirit, let us live our life with God as our master, working our spirit all the days of our lives. Maybe we can retire from physical work, although we doubt that, but we surely can never retire from working our spirit. God said that he started a good work in us and he would complete it.

Phil 1:3-6

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

NIV

The idea here is that God is working with us in the growth of our spirit, as we are one with him. He will bring it to completion when? When the day Jesus calls us home. That means no retirement from growing in Christ. No retirement from serving our Lord. We cannot just sit back being idle, thinking we have nothing more to do, either in our service to him, or in our growth in the spirit. Let us not look to fantasies, but to the reality of God. 

Holy and Blameless

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

HOLY AND BLAMELESS

Prov 28:18

18 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall.

NIV

At first this might be mistaken for the behaviors of two different people. Those who can walk through life without sin and those who live to sin. Both have sin in their lives so then could either of them have their sins expunged. But, yes the first man here is indeed the one whose sins are not counted against him. The only way for a person to be blameless is to be declared holy and blameless by God.

Eph 1:4

4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

NIV

This declaration by God is for those who he knows will accept his son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Yes, we have the free will to accept or reject, but God being God knows all things and knows ahead of time which of us will accept and reject. It is not that he chooses who will and who will not, for that removes all free will from our beings. Adam was created with that ability to choose to obey God or to make his own choice. He made the wrong choice and mankind has been paying for it ever since. But God in his great mercy had a plan for the redemption of his creation and that was in his Son Jesus. So as we make our choices, those of us who chose life, who chose Jesus are declared by God to be holy and blameless in his sight for we are in Christ and we are kept safe. However the person who makes another choice, as Adam did, choosing to disobey God, to live for themselves rejecting the salvation he so freely gives, will one day suddenly fall. It is not that they will fall down and bruise themselves, but they will fall into the pit of hell itself. Just as we do not know the hour or the day of our being caught up in the air with our Lord, they will not know the hour of the day they will fall into hell. It is not that God condemns, as some mean judge, to hell, for by their sinful life, by their refusal to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, they have condemned themselves. It is just as Adam was told that if he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die. He ate of it and by doing so condemned himself to death.

John 3:16-18

16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned , but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. 

NIV

So then because we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our walk is blameless. This does not mean by any means we are sinless, but our sins our not counted against us and therefore we are holy and blameless because God declared us so. But let us consider those whom we know that have already been condemned because of their perverse ways, their looking to self instead of God. Can we stand by idle and watch them live under that condemnation, knowing they will fall into hell? How will they hear unless someone tells them? How can someone tell them unless they are sent? We have been sent into all the world to preach the Good News about Jesus. There are more to be saved, if it were not so, God would have sent Jesus to get us already. But because of his great love for his creation, he knows there are more who will accept his Son. So then we have work to do, we have the truth to declare. We have to be the expression of Jesus to those who need him, so they too may be holy and blameless. 

No guilt

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

NO GUILT

Prov 28:17

17 A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him.

NIV

We immediately think of the first murder committed upon this earth when Cain killed his brother Abel. Although God cast him from his place, he did not destroy him or take his life, in fact because Cain feared that someone would kill him, God put a mark in him so that people would know not to kill him. God made a covenant with Cain.

Gen 4:15-16

15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain , he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

NIV

But Cain was to be a restless wander, no longer being able to work the soil and get a good crop, but all he would get would be weeds. This is the torment mentioned in this proverb. Cain was a fugitive till death. The ground no longer supported him.

Gen 4:10-12

10 The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."

NIV

But how does this all apply to our lives today? Surely those of us who are born again, who have our sin forgiven because of Jesus should have no guilt of murder. Of course we would never commit such a horrid crime as to take another life. But then could we make the leap that we are in fact taking a person’s life by not sharing the gospel message with them when we have the opportunity? Are we keeping them from gaining eternal life and in fact being partner in their death? Although it is true it is the function of the Holy Spirit to convict men of sin and in need of repentance, it does not absolve us from the command to go into all the world and preach the good news. Why would Jesus give his disciples, and us for the matter, the command to go into all the world and preach the good news if it was entirely up to the Holy Spirit? So we do play a part in the salvation of others. We are responsible to God for their hearing the message. If we are not telling them, thus keeping it from them then who is to say they will ever hear the message at all? We would hate to think we would be nothing more than a wanderer or soil that would not bear any fruit. We would hate to think ourselves tormented by the fact we did nothing about telling people about Jesus when we could have. We certainly cannot live in the manner of us four and no more. We absolutely cannot live strictly thinking of ourselves and our relationship with Jesus. Then our lives would only be about ourselves and we would be forsaking all those who God desires to come to the saving knowledge of Christ. Why do we think God blessed such men like Billy Graham or D.L. Moody? They were all about sharing the message. They dedicated their lives to sharing the message. We may not be like them, but we are still to go into all the world, maybe not the physical world as a missionary might, but into every aspect of the world. We are to go into the world of construction, of medicine, of business, retail, wholesale, manufacturing, finance, or sales. We are to go into the world of science, engineering, computing, communications or whatever other form where people are engaged in making a living. This is where we love our neighbor as ourselves, making sure they have the opportunity of gaining eternal life. Maybe we cannot actually preach like a Billy Graham, but we can witness as to what Jesus has done in our lives. A witness only can testify to that which he has seen, done, or heard. Let us not have any guilt. Let us no aimlessly wander through life bearing no fruit. The fruit we bear is not for us anyway, it is for others to pick from our lives. So let us be about the work of the Father. Let us speak up and have no guilt.  

God-centered leader

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GOD-CENTERED LEADER

Prov 28:16

16 A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment, but he who hates ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life.

NIV

This would seem to be directed to the affairs of governing. It would have applied to the times of kings and emperors during the period of the Old Testament. It can apply to our times as well specifically in those countries who have tyrannical rulers, dictators and oppressive rulers who even commit crimes such as ethnic cleansing. We might even be able to apply this principle in our country with the oppressive use of taxes to support the abundant life of the rulers and to increase their power. A ruler or government that lacks proper judgement, that wants more of itself is bond to fall at some point in time. We have seen the fall of the Roman rule. We have seen the fall of some of the evil rulers in the past such as Adolf Hitler or Stalin. We have seen evil men who ruled ruthlessly lose their power by being overthrown either by their own military or as in the case of the Revolutionary War, by the people, against the tyrannical rule of England over the Colonies. We might also see this in the sense of a company and its employees. An unjust employer cares only for the bottom line, not really concerned about the people in his or her employ. We might see this as applying to the church. Some, what we would call false prophets surely are ruling the church for ill-gotten gain. They rule with charm and deceit in order to improve their own lives. Surely their lives will be cut short. But could we apply this to the family structure. The head of the household could be seen as the ruler. If this head of the household lacks judgment, wants everything for self, seeks the family as a means to support their rule, perhaps their life be shortened. If the head of the household thrives on power, seeks after wealth for their own personal gain, not living for the sake of the family, their lives will not be an enjoyable one and may well not be a long one either. However, those who hate ill-gotten gain will enjoy a long life. That is he who strives for the things of God. That is the head of the household lives to serve their family, of course, right after God. Yet in serving God, they must serve their family. This is done by living under the protection and guidance of God. This is having proper judgment. The rightful standing before God brings a right standing in the family. No tyrant is respected, whether they be the government or the head of a household. Their rule will come to an end. But the one who lives for his people, whether in government or in the family will enjoy a long life. The opposite of ill-gotten gain, or plunder, unjust gain is honest endeavors, generosity, compassion, concern for those who they are responsible for and accountable to God for. Because a ruler in government is accountable to God, we can be sure no long life, no eternal life, will be extended to the tyrant. Could we be as bold to think this would also apply in the family structure? The head of the household must first seek the kingdom of God, and his direction, but must also care for not only the material well-being of the family, but the spiritual well-being. This brings not only long life to the head of the household but to the whole family. Let us always restrain any esteem for greed, for ill-gotten gain, or plunder. Let us always be running the race in faith, leading with honesty and integrity for the benefit of all God has given us responsibility for. Let us be a God-centered leader. 

The helpless

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE HELPLESS

Prov 28:15

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

NIV

Just as we saw how those who fear God are blessed, we now see how those who are helpless are ruled. Perhaps the Hebrew gives us a better understanding of the helpless. The Hebrew word implies weak or thin. This would give us the picture of someone who does not have the help of the Lord in their lives. They are not in his refuge, or abiding in his strong tower. They are in the world without a relationship with God. This makes them weak, it makes them thin or helpless. It is not as though we who are believers are not strong in ourselves, for our strength comes from the Lord. He is our strength, he is our righteousness, and he is our strong tower in times of trouble. He is our rock. We have been given his armor so we can take our stand against the schemes of the devil. The helpless have none of that for they have either refused or have never heard of the gospel message. The devil is roaming around like a lion seeking whom he might devour. If a person is not serving God, then that person is serving the devil. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are being ruled by the prince of this world, the devil. He is the wickedest man who rules over these helpless people. They are being lead to the slaughter as helpless lambs. He may not be referred to as a charging bear, but surely as a wolf in sheep’s clothing looking to devour the flock. Although it may be true most non-believers think they are in control of their own destiny, they are in fact being ruled by this wicked devil. He has deceived them into thinking their intelligence will save them and the planet. He has deceived them into thinking God and creation are nothing more than a myth or as one ex-governor once put it, Christianity is nothing more than a crutch for weak-minded people. The devil has deceived them into thinking they are more intelligent than the weak-minded, stupid, foolish people who believe there is a God and his salvation. But it is we who have the strength of mind because we have heard the voice of the Spirit and understood the importance of his message. We made the most intelligent decision of a lifetime, we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We decided to free ourselves from the rule of the wicked devil and freely hand our lives over to God. But Jesus does not rule us in the same manner the devil rules the weak, the helpless. Jesus does not call us servant, but rather friend. Although we say we serve the Lord, we are in fact already co-heirs with Jesus, we have been given the right to be called children of God. Although God is our master, he has freed us from the bondage of sin, of the bondage the devil binds his helpless slaves in. We have a freedom in Christ like no other freedom. The devil has no hold on us, no rule over us, and no influence upon our lives. Praise God for his deliverance from a life that leads to death. The roaring lion, the charging bear only bring death to those they devour. Jesus brings life to those he has freed from that death. Let us try to enlighten those who are weak, let us make every effort to bring life to those who are dead. Let us bring help to the helpless. 

Blessed is

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

BLESSED IS

Prov 28:14

14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

NIV

We have seen this term, blessed is the man, several times throughout the scriptures. Our first thought runs to Psalm one,

Ps 1

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

NIV

We could write a book just on the many times God says, “Blessed is the man”. It is so important to see how we are blessed in so many ways.

Ps 32:2

2 Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.

NIV

This one surely tells us of our need to have a heart for God as when we come to him through Jesus, our sins are forgiven. Not just some of them, not just the ones we committed in the past, not just the ones we commit today, but all our sins for the whole of time, once we became a born again believer in Jesus Christ. It is not that we should willingly go about finding sin to commit just so we can be blessed by God not counting them against us. In some sense that would be deceitful and we are not to have any deceit in our spirit, especially with God. So we always fear the Lord, and that is not being afraid of him, but rather reverencing him or to stand in awe of him. But at the same time that word translated fear is also to be in dread, which would be knowing the power of God and how he is the one who controls our lives, that has the power of life and death over us. The idea of this proverb is we are blessed when we trust in God, we understand his sovereignty in our lives. But we are cursed when we put our trust in our own abilities, our own strength for that is turning our heart away from God, that would be hardening our heart and in doing so we will surely fall into trouble. When we do not fear God, when we do not reverence him, when we do not stand in awe of him and put our complete trust in him, not just for salvation, but for every aspect of our lives, we have hardened our heart. Let us always have a soft heart in tune with God. Let us allow the Spirit to work in our lives. Let us allow Jesus to live his life through us expressing himself in us as us. Surely we will be blessed.

Finding mercy

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FINDING MERCY

Prov 28:13

13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

NIV

If this is not the explanation of salvation in the Old Testament, then nothing is. If a person conceals or does not acknowledge he has sin in his life there is no way he is going to receive forgiveness from God and thus will inherit eternal life. It is when we come to God, confessing our sin, repenting or at least having a repentant heart, seeking his truth, Jesus, and accepting his forgiveness through Jesus' death and his new life, though Jesus' resurrection, that we find this mercy. Truly this is the plan of salvation within this proverb.  Yet what about after all that has transpired and we have been saved, born again? We still are not completely free from sin in our body. It is true that we no longer live in sin it has been forgiven, covered by the blood of Jesus. Yet, as long as we are in this body, we will continue to wrestle with some areas of sin. What we do with it is also spoken of in this saying. We cannot think we are sinless, that we never sin anymore. That would be, in essence concealing our sin. We cannot simply think the wicked vile sins of the body, such as lust or immoral acts are the sins we have overcome. There are so many thoughts which are sinful such as having a judgmental attitude or being jealous or envious. We still might even commit some form of gluttony. This applies not only to food, but to overdoing anything. The word glutton is derived from the Latin word, “gula which is derived from the word gluttire” which means to gulp down or swallow. It means overindulgence or overconsumption of food, drink or wealth items. One dictionary defines gluttony as excessive eating or drinking, but also as greedy or excessive indulgence accused of a nation of energy gluttony. This could apply to our over appetite for things, our constant need for more, bigger, better, newer stuff. To ignore any of our attitudes in this life would be similar to concealing them. If we live without acknowledging them before God, how can we expect to prosper? We have to be realistic about the fact we fail to live up to his standard. We are incapable of living up to the standard of God, which is why we need Jesus. In our spirit we do want to please God, live faithfully, and we do, but our body refuses to obey as fully as it should. This was the struggle Paul dealt with and it is ours as well. Yet we cannot escape it or pretend it is not there. God knows us, he loves us, and we need to admit our failures knowing they have already been forgiven. That is where we find true peace, true prosperity, where we can push forward in our walk with God, where we find his love and compassion. We have to know we cannot hide them from him, but we need to not try to hide them from ourselves either if we are to find mercy.

Great elation

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

GREAT ELATION

Prov 28:12

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great elation; but when the wicked rise to power, men go into hiding.

NIV

We have read of this situation happening throughout the ages. There were righteous kings and Israel was blessed and when evil kings succeeded them Israel became a horrible place to live. It is also the history of England because the Monarch is the head of the church. When a righteous king or queen ruled the church, Christians could openly worship without fear of persecution. Our historians tell us the Edward VI and Mary I were evil and the word of God was needed to be hidden. It was not free and open for use, Christians needed to go into hiding. We have read of this same kind of treatment of Christians in China as well as other countries even in our modern times. We do not see this truth bore our in our country as much as those of other countries and of past years. Yet when we have a President who is open to the gospel it seems there is an elation in the general population and especially in the church. We have also had some Presidents who, perhaps not openly, but more covertly oppose the gospel message. Yet we might also see this truth not as a country, but as a personal experience. When we understand the truth of our righteousness, when we get it, that God has declared us righteous and blameless in his sight, we experience a great elation in our spirit, soul and body. We have great joy knowing God sees us through the blood of Jesus, that although we may still have failures, faults, or sin in our lives, God does not see us as sinners, but as saints, his children, and co-heirs with Jesus. But when our wickedness overtakes us, when we think we are not so holy, not so blameless, not doing what is right, we might tend to try to hide ourselves. Certainly we cannot hide from God, but maybe we can hide from the truth. It is possible we could get down on ourselves, become disillusioned and maybe even depressed because we cannot be holy, we cannot keep from sinning, and we are simply not able to be good enough. So we put on that façade, so we still look good to others, but more importantly, we look good to ourselves. We pretend all is well, when we know it is not. We are hiding beneath that shiny exterior. This could be a cyclical experience we go through during the course of our lives. Times of elation, and times of hiding. We need to always remember we live in Christ, Christ lives in us. We are the expression of God, not just to the world, but to ourselves. Even with sin in our lives, in the physical, we are born of God in the spirit. That will never change, he has declared us innocent. We can live in constant elation because we have a righteous ruler. We can live without fear because our God reigns. There is no reason to hide our faith. There is no reason to hide our sin. There is no reason to hide from ourselves. For righteousness reigns in the heavens, in this earth and within our spirits. Let us rejoice, let is live with great elation. 

Discernment

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

DISCERNMENT

Prov 28:11

11 A rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him.

NIV

Oh the foolishness of thinking oneself wise just because of being wealthy. That might bring some respect from others who are wealthy or it might bring praise from those who would be the parasites that cling around living off the rich man. There is something that could be understood here. There is the idea of false and true riches pictured for us. The rich man has the false riches, and the poor man who has understanding can discriminate between the two. We can see this in the experience of the man born blind who was healed by Jesus.

John 9:30-34

30 The man answered, "Now that is remarkable! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing." 34 To this they replied, "You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!" And they threw him out.

NIV

He was poor but understood that Jesus was from God. The Pharisees, who were definitely rich men were outraged that a poor blind man would lecture them about spiritual matters. They were so wise in their own eyes they could not see the truth if it stood right in front of them. This might well speak of spiritual wealth more than monetary wealth. That was the case with the healed man and the Pharisees. There are some Christians who think themselves wise in their own minds and are even hailed by others as being wise. But does that mean they understand the truth? Wisdom does not come from self-effort, but from God. We are not told if any man lacks wisdom he should go to school to learn it. We are told he should ask God and he will give wisdom.

James 1:4-8

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom , he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

NIV

The key here is not having doubt, in other words thinking that we also need to do something in order to gain wisdom. It is simply from God and from him it comes generously. He is not stingy with it, he gives wisdom in abundance to the man who is poor in spirit, who simply believes God. It is just like salvation. It is not Jesus plus something. Wisdom comes from God. It is not God plus something of human origin. So let us not think more highly of ourselves than we should but simply look to God for all things, seeking his kingdom first and foremost. Looking to the kingdom of this world only gives way to thinking more highly of ourselves than we should, seeing ourselves wise. This is the discernment which comes from God. 

Partners

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

PARTNERS

Prov 28:10

10 He who leads the upright along an evil path will fall into his own trap, but the blameless will receive a good inheritance.

NIV

The first question that should be asked is how an upright person could be led along an evil path. In the original language it reads more like as if someone causes an upright person to go astray to do something which is bad or evil which would imply sinful. It would seem the only way this could happen is if the upright person falls into league with a non-upright person. Maybe the term falls into league implies a formation of some type of partnership, rather than simply falling, as stumbling. We are told not to become unequally yoked.

2 Cor 6:14-18

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."   17 "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."  18 "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."  

NIV

It would seem this yoking with an unbeliever would be the only way we who are upright could be led down the wrong path. What believer would lead his fellow believer into unrighteousness? What believer would lead another believer into thinking or doing something wrong? We certainly have false prophets spewing lies about the gospel or twisting it to conform to their false teaching in order to trap, so to speak, people into believing them and following them, giving great sums of money so these false prophets, these false preachers and teachers can live high off the hog. They will get their fair due when the last day comes. But what about those who allowed themselves to be trapped by their evil ways? What about those weak-minded believers who followed after those false teachers and preachers? Even though they were deceived are they still considered blameless? Although the trap of the false prophets is deceptive, the trap of the non-believers is even more so. Although it may be true that all traps are based on self-pleasure of some form or another. We only have to look at the temptations of Jesus to see the methods of traps used. Hunger, safety or security in trusting God and materialism. If we are lead to believe we are to be self-reliant in providing our needs, it is a trap. If we are lead to believe we need to prove God exists, it is a trap. If we are lead to believe money or materialism is our goal or success, it is a trap. We should not have any common ground with an unbeliever. We cannot form any type of alliance with them. No partnership which would cause us to hope for their success which would bring success or monetary gain for us. This is not to say that we should withdraw from society for we are indeed to go out into the world and spread the good news. But we are no longer citizens of this world, our citizenship is in the kingdom of God. We are foreigners, aliens, but also ambassadors of our sovereign and his kingdom. Yet we should also remain, as we already are in his sight, holy and blameless. We should not allow any of this worlds temptations lead us astray. Those who live in the “astray” the non-believer even though they might try to trap us, they will fall into their own trap, and their just reward will follow, however sad that reward is. We, on the other hand, must remain blameless, that means we remain in Christ, in his truth. No alliances can be made with the world or with false prophets. No partnerships can be formed whether they be of moral, legal, financial or spiritual issues with anyone who is not a follower of Christ. Because we live in Christ, and keep our faith in him and him alone we are seen by God as holy and blameless and as such we will receive a good inheritance. Our only partner is Jesus.