He Reigns

DEVOTION

PROPHESISES AND FULFILLMENT CONERNING CHRIST

HE REIGNS

Isa 9:7

7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

NIV

Is there any question that Isaiah was speaking about Jesus? The very first clue is the use of the phrase, “there will be no end”. There has been and will always be an end to the reign of any earthy king or leader who sits in the seat of power over a nation. There is only one who lives forever who reigns and that is Jesus. He came to earth in human form and through a specific line of ancestors. Here we see that king David was one of those men, a king himself who reigned over Israel. David has a very special place in the heart of God. Not just that he was an ancestor or that God decided Jesus would come to earth through his line, but God testified concerning David.

Acts 13:22

22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

NIV

What a testimony about a man, from the lips of God. Would that he say that about us? Nevertheless Jesus sits upon the throne of David, and he did everything the Father wanted him to do. He truly was a man after the Father’s own heart. The fulfillment concerning this linage of David, we have to go to Matthew once again.

Matt 1:1

1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:

NIV

Matt 1:6

6 and Jesse the father of King David.

NIV

Although verse six tells us where in the linage of Jesus David is, we have enough information within the very first verse. Two men mentioned, Abraham and David as being ancestors of Jesus. Certainly we are talking about Jesus as a human, being born as an infant. The trick here is that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. So then in all reality did he have any genetic relationship to David, or had any of his genes, which we get the word genealogy from. What is little known is Mary was a descendent of a Nathan, a brother of Solomon, another son of David. So even being conceived by the Holy Spirit, having the genes of God, Jesus still carried within him the genes from his mother, a descendent of King David. Jesus truly was from the throne of David from both aspects, the lineage of men, and of genetic code. How many ways do we need to see that Jesus is the one and only way through which we might gain eternal life? Yet there are many more prophesies which we will gain more insights into Christ. It is very interesting that God made sure throughout the lives of men who lived hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, we would be told it was going to be Jesus who would be the Savior of the world. The everlasting King of kings, Lord of lords and his reign would never end. We will live forever in the kingdom of God because he reigns.

Humble

DEVOTION

PROPHESIS AND FULFILLMENTS CONCERNING CHRIST

HUMBLE

Mic 5:2-5

2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." 3 Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. 4 He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.   5 And he will be their peace.

NIV

Humble beginnings for such an everlasting King of kings, Lord of lords, Ruler of rulers. Born in a stable yet brings greatness to the ends of the earth. How insignificant was this little town called Bethlehem, it was just a suburb of Jerusalem. The best guesses are the population may have been around two to three hundred people. There are archeologists who have pieced information to arrive at this estimated number. No matter the population, it was a small unimportant town in the grand scheme of Israel. Because we know they had inns, although no rooms were available when Joseph and Mary arrived for the census. Inns would indicate travelers, most likely ones on the way or coming home from being in Jerusalem. Yet here we are in Bethlehem when it is time for Jesus to enter the world as a human infant. This was spoken of somewhere about seven hundred plus years before the birth of Jesus. Matthew records the fulfillment of this prophesy of Micah.

Matt 2:1-6

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

NIV

What do we learn that benefits our lives, our spiritual growth? There is no question that Jesus is God. We absolutely believe in the triune God, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Any other belief would simply be heresy, as far as we are concerned. We know from other scriptures that Jesus was the creator of all things, nothing was created that he did not create.

John 1:1-5

1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

NIV

We sing songs about the majestic name of Jesus, God. We consider his name above all names. There is no one like God. Yet here he is coming to earth in a human form, a defenseless infant at that. Could the Father or the Spirit strike death upon anyone who dare try to inflict any harm on this infant Jesus? Absolutely, but they did not. Jesus was allowed to be an infant who needed all the love and care of a mother; and the protection and provision of a father. Jesus could have shown up as the King of Kings in all his glory. But no, a humble beginning and he lived a humble life, up to and including his death. Although he had all authority, he submitted himself to his parents and to his Father. There were moments when he stepped up to protect his house, the temple of God. But mainly he lived as a simple man, serving the Father. Here we are, learning this lesson. Pride is not the way of Jesus. Authority with humility somehow worked for him. We might have some authority in an earthly sense, but we must not wheel that authority as if we are an almighty power. Husbands have been given authority over their families, but only because God holds them accountable for their families. Many men may not live up to the accountability portion, but still want the authority. This should not be. If Jesus lived a humble life, although having all authority, we too should live a humble live, no matter how much authority we have been given. This would apply in our families, in our work place, in our church community or our social community. Yet at the same time we ought to also know we are in Christ. God regards his creation as something very special. So special he came to earth as a human infant to grow and experience all we experience, to live among us, being one of us. That seems almost unconceivable God would need to live as a human to experience what humans feel, yet we are told he did. He experienced all that is common to man, yet was without sin. God in the flesh living humbly. This is our que, live humbly before God which would then include before man. We started with words from Micah and we end with his words.

Mic 6:8

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

NIV

The Lion of Judah

DEVOTION

PROPHESIES AND FULFILLMENT CONCERNING CHRIST

THE LION OF JUDAH

Gen 49:8-10

8 "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you. 9 You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness — who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.

NIV

It is as though we do not even have to read the scriptures that show us Jesus has fulfilled this prophetic declaration of Jacob, Israel, to Judah, one of his twelve sons, while he was on his death bed. From of studies of the life of Jesus, we already are aware he came from the tribe of Judah. But for our time now we shall record those verse which show the fulfillment is in Christ.

Matt 1:1-2

1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

NIV

Although this genealogy is carried throughout all the men from Abraham to Jesus, it is clear within these first three verses, Jesus was in the line of Judah.

Within the letter to the Hebrews, tucked within language concerning the changing of the priesthood from Levi to Judah, the writer makes this clear statement:

Heb 7:13-14

 14 For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah,

NIV

The importance of this change is the Law came through the tribe of Levi, the Levitical Law. But when another high priest came, Jesus, he came from the tribe of Judah and thus the Levitical Law held no meaning. He fulfilled the Law, and as we are in Christ, we too have fulfilled the Law, or have no need of obedience to it. Although it is true we are subject to Christ and his commands, which we already know the most important one is love. Yet the point is we should not put ourselves back under the Law for if we do and break just the littlest one, we are guilty of them all. Why, when we have been freed from the law, would we place ourselves under it? Yet do we not do that very thing every time we establish some list of do’s and don’ts? Because Jesus did not belong to or come through the line of Levi, the Law has been left behind for a new covenant.  This new covenant is based on faith rather than works. Those under the Levitical Law had to work at keeping it. It was a difficult task each day to make sure every observance of the Law was fulfilled. Yet they could not, because it was designed by God for that very purpose. He gave them Laws they could not keep, showing them their need for a Messiah, a Savior. Maybe one of the reasons they rejected Jesus as Messiah was because he was not from Levi, but rather Judah. We have one more text which proves Jesus came through the line of Judah.

Rev 5:4-5

 5 Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals."

NIV

This is Jesus, the one and only one who has triumphed. Again the importance is we have not. Perhaps sometimes we might think we have victory in Jesus, but that is just it, it is in Jesus. We have no victory of our own. We can do nothing apart from him. The only reason we can live a victorious life is because Jesus lives in us, as us. We, by ourselves cannot live any other way then less then victorious. If Jesus is not living in us, then we are doomed to failure. In fact, in the flesh, in our bodies, we will fail. We cannot live without committing some form of sin, no matter how small it is, it is still sin and that makes us unqualified to be called victorious, for we have not triumphed. However, we are in Christ and he lives in us therefor we have already won the battle, we have become victorious through Christ. It may be a leap, but as Jesus opens the seals, we open them as well, because we are in him. What a glorious thought, we are present in Christ, he is present in us. Of course this is in the spiritual sense because we are still captive to this physical form. But one day we will be released from this body and will be ever in the presence of our Lord, in some other form. It may well still be what appears as this body, but as when Jesus was resurrected in a glorified state, so will we.

1 Cor 15:50-54

50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."  

NIV

This is the victory we have in Jesus, our high priest from the tribe of Judah. His lordship will never end. The scepter and the staff belong to Jesus. He is our Lord, and our shepherd. He will lead us home. He is the Lion of Judah. 

Blessed

DEVOTION

PROPHESIES AND FULFILLMENT CONCERNING CHRIST

BLESSED

Gen 18:17-18

17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

NIV

This is the second prophecy concerning Christ. Surely with the support of these other verses we are convinced this is talking about Jesus.

Gen 12:2-3

2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

NIV

Gen 22:17-18

 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

NIV

The whole of it is wrapped up in the word translated offspring. The Hebrew word means seed, not seeds. It is singular. Of course this could refer to Isaac as his singular seed, but although Abraham had only the one son with Sarah his first wife, he had other sons with his second wife, Keturah by whom he had six sons. So when we use the singular seed it must refer to Jesus, who through him the whole world was blessed.

The verses which show us this truth, the fulfillment of this prophesy is:

Acts 3:24-25

 25 And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, 'Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.'

NIV

Gal 3:16

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

NIV

We also have the complete genealogy from Adam to Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew 1:1-17 which we will not copy here. Yet all this gives us the truth that we are indeed blessed through the seed of Abraham, Jesus. What would the world be like if God did not declare he would bless the world by sending his son to go to the cross and take away our sin? It would be a dark place, a place reminiscent of the world in the time of Noah. Man’s heart was bent toward every inclination of evil all the time. In Fact the account of Noah is a picture for us of Jesus and the cross. Those who were in the ark were saved and those not in the ark perished. This is the same with the cross. Those of us who died with Christ on that cross and were resurrected with him are saved. Those who did not die with him on the cross will perish. Why would someone choice to perish? Why would we refuse to be saved? Perhaps the world is not much different than in the time of Noah. Maybe there are just as many people whose hearts are bent toward every inclination of evil all the time, as in the time of Noah, maybe even more. Yet a blessing is theirs for the taking. God will forgive all sin, if but people will only accept his offer, Jesus. Yet there is the great truth that when we accept Jesus, we must join him on that cross and die to self. We cannot accept him and go on living as the same old self. Without our death and resurrection we have not been changed. This blessing God bestows upon us is, in fact, being make a new creature.

Rom 6:1-7

6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.

NIV

This is truly the blessing which God meant when he said the whole world would be blessed through Jesus. Whoever believes in him will be saved. What more of a blessing could we ask for? So often we get caught up in the trappings of this world looking for God to bless us materially. But he has told us to seek first his kingdom, to seek Jesus, his Son, through whom we are blessed with salvation. He will take care of all the stuff, but that is not being blessed, it is being provided for. The Hebrew word translated blessed has many meanings. One is to kneel as we would bless God, but another use is to be blessed, to be adorned. The dictionary defines blessed as made holy, consecrated. God has adorned us with Jesus, who makes us holy. God declares all who are in Christ Jesus as blameless and holy in sight. We are blessed. 

Crushed

DEVOTION

PROPHECIES AND FULFILLMENTS CONCERNING CHRIST

CRUSHED

As the remaining two chapters of Proverbs were not written by Solomon, it is time to move on to another area of truth. We think it will be of interest to examine the prophecies which concern Christ and look at the scripture which shows the fulfillment of that prophecy. This will afford more insight into truth, as well as find some truth to guide our lives. The first prophecy is early on in scripture.

Gen 3:14-15

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

NIV

There has been a long list of scholars who have spent much time given to the meaning of the word, serpent. Without repeating an enormous amount of investigation, we will be content to simple agree with their conclusions. However it might be good to remember that the original language this word translated serpent means snake. Yet a snake cannot talk, nor does it have any legs or arms. Others have thought it meant alligator which has legs and arms, but this beast has no means of human speech. Because there is New Testament references of the serpent being Satan, we have to agree with these scholars in their conclusion it is Satan. We must consider Eve was not taken aback that this creature spoke to her. We have no record of previous conversations, but the fact she was not surprised this creature spoke to her gives us reason to believe it was Satan. The fact that Satan, once cast from heaven, has always and will always be set against God and will continually attempt to draw us away from God, we must believe this was him, who tempted Eve. So then the prophetic meaning here in this verse is that there will always be enmity between Satan and Jesus. Jesus is her seed, Jesus will come into the world through a woman. It is not the seed of Adam, it is not the normal means by which offspring are born. The fulfillment of this prophesy is:

Gal 4:4-5

4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law,

NIV

Luke 2:6-7

 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

NIV

Rev 12:6

5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

NIV

We have known, as it is common knowledge to us believers, that Jesus is the Christ, born through a virgin who was conceived by the Holy Spirit. We have this recorded for us in the Gospels. But we have to know from the very beginning of time, this was the plan of God. What he told that old serpent, Satan, shows us God planned to bring his son into the world and he would crush Satan once and forever. Either Satan thought he could win against God, or that he did not believe God. We have to consider Satan was once in heaven as the angel Lucifer and that he already knew Jesus, the Son of God because Jesus was there in the beginning. So we must conclude Satan thought he could win against God. His first attempt to win, seemed to be a success, at least the first battle. He did successfully get Eve and then Adam to disbelieve God and thus fall from their perfect state in which they were created. It also seems he has been winning battles throughout generations. He engages in a battle against God every day in the lives of people, specifically us believers. Those who do not believe God, or in God, Satan already has them in his snare. He has them under his influence and so he spends most of his time attacking those of us who have been reunited with our God through Christ. Although the battles may be daily, the outcome of the war has already been determined by God. Jesus will crush the head of Satan. This may not actually be the crushing of his skull, but rather the head may refer to his headship or leadership of people into sin. Once we were under the headship of Satan, but when we came to Jesus, when we accepted Jesus as the head of our lives, he crushed the headship of Satan. We are referred to as the body of Christ, him being the head.

Col 1:15-18

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

NIV

So we live in Jesus and Jesus lives in us, as us, and therefore we have nothing to fear of the old serpent, the devil, Satan. Christ is now our head, our Lord, and we live under his influence. Praise God, Satan’s head has been crushed. 

Detestable

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

DESTESTABLE

Prov 29:27

27 The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

NIV

We cannot be sure that the word detest is one hundred percent right. The Hebrew word carries a meaning of abomination or a disgusting thing. It is used in an ethical sense of wickedness. We can understand how the wicked might get disgusted with the righteous, but why would a believer, assuming the righteous refers to believers, feel any disgust with a non-believer, again using the word wicked, or dishonest in this translation, to describe non-believers. There are many non-believers, although defined as wicked are rather nice people. Why would we have any detest of them? We are told that we should not be unequally yoke, that we have nothing in common with the non-believer.

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

So there is in a sense a wide separation between the two of us, the believer and the unbeliever. Whether that separation creates detest or enmity between us it may not be in the open. This is where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. Our division is not openly displayed for all to see. In fact we might even not want the unbeliever to feel we detest them. How could we share the gospel with them if we told them how detestable they are to us? How is that possible even to think we would think that about them? Perhaps it is the acts of unrighteousness which we do not like. Perhaps it is their way of life which offends us, because it is offensive to God. We certainly do not engage in their way of life, we do not partnership with the unbelieving world in any manner. Yes, we work among them, in the world. Sure, we have conversations with them, but we do not condone their behavior nor do we join in. They may well look at us with a certain amount of distain. This would be especially true if by our constant bombardment of righteous language, always forcing Jesus on them, makes them feel extremely uncomfortable. They might make every effort to avoid us at all costs and feel this detest toward us. It is a fine line between the two of us. We need to be among them so we can partner with the Spirit in bringing them to the point of accepting Christ, being freed from their slavery to sin. How we balance this can only be done through the Spirit. To be an ambassador implies we are not of this world, this kingdom and thus subject to it, we have diplomatic immunity from it. But we are citizens of the kingdom of God and have been sent to speak for our Sovereign. So let us detest the acts of wickedness while still loving the actor so as we love them they can see Jesus, not a self-righteous actor of Godliness. Then maybe, just maybe we would not be subject to this proverb. Truly if we allowed this proverb to be the truth in our lives, it would indeed be detestable. 

Justice for all

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

JUSTICE FOR ALL

Prov 29:26

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.

NIV

This is either living in the world or in the kingdom of God because we cannot live in both. Although we for all practical appearances look as if we are in the world, which is in the physical form we actually are within the physical world. But that is not where are citizenship is. We do not find justice within the realm of the physical world. Sure, we have courts of law that dispense a form of justice to those who would break the human laws established by the government of the country they live in, however that is mere human justice. Here we are told a man seeks the favor of a ruler. He wants to persuade them in their favor, to seek a positive outcome. This may well be done by various means. We have seen men find this favor through either testimonies of lies or through buying the favor of the ruler with brides or some other means. We can be certain, when it comes to man, there will always be some perversion of justice. There will always be some way in which the case, or the law is made to serve those who seek the favor of the ruler. But God judges the heart of every man, without favoritism. He respects no man above another. All will stand before him naked, so to speak, without any defense other than being in Christ. It is a simple case for God to follow his own law. Those who are found in Christ are declared innocent, holy and blameless in his sight, as we are already. Those who are not in Christ have already condemned themselves and thus God merely needs to enact their own condemnation, casting them into the lake of burning sulfur. The justice of man is not swift and even a person condemned to death, lives on for many years during appeal after appeal. But Gods justice is swift and sure, it happens at the blink of an eye. We are either in or out, there are no appeals. Although God does give man many years to come to Christ. He does not desire that any be cast in the lake of fire. He does not take pleasure in seeing any of his creation perish. However his justice is final, unchangeable, and unpersuadable. His justice cannot be bought or bribed. It has already been determined in Christ. We all will have justice on the final day. Praise God, we have already been declared innocent. But there is still time to assist the Spirit in getting that same verdict for those around us who have not yet accepted Christ. Let us move within the world making it possible for more to hear those words, innocent, come enter my rest. Within the kingdom of God we will find justice for all. 

Kept safe

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

KEPT SAFE

Prov 29:25

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

NIV

When we are so concerned about what man thinks of us, that we live to please men rather than God, it will certainly be our downfall. It is a trap to think we need the approval of others in order to belong to their group. Why should we belong to their little band, their clique, in the first place? Even within Christendom we can see these little groups, these clusters of tightly knit people who only socialize with each other. They might invite us in, but we have to abide by the rules of the group. We remember years back at one church we were members of where there was such a group. It had the proverbial ring leader, the wife of a dear man, but if we wanted to be in the group we were expected to pay her homage so to speak, by doing what she wanted when and where she wanted to get the group together. Conversation was also determined as to what was acceptable and what was not. Everything was good as long as we behaved by her rules. This is fear of man at its height. Compromising who we are to be liked and to belong is not the way to live.

Gal 1:10

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

NIV

We cannot live to please others and please God at the same time, Now that does not mean we should go out of our way to offend others either. We do need to be friends to those lost in sin so to bring them the good news. We do need to associate with and live in a gentle manner, representing Christ, as we are his ambassadors to a lost world. Yet keeping our mouth shut about Jesus, so not to offend them, is having fear of them rather than trusting God.

Heb 13:6

6 So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"  

NIV

Of course the writer of Hebrews is quoting from a Psalm David wrote. The truth is man cannot do anything to us. True man can take the life of this body, but he cannot destroy our spirit, our being, the real us, who will live on forever in the presence of our Lord. Our trust is in God, not in the world, the things of the world or the people of the world. We do not live to please them, yet we make every effort to live in peace with them, as we are his image and voice to them, working in partnership with the Spirit. So we live and work among those who need to know Jesus. But we do not live in accordance with their ways in order to be liked by them. We must maintain our life in Christ, trusting for every aspect of our lives. This is the way to life everlasting, being kept safe. 

Encouragers

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

ENCOURAGERS

Prov 29:24

24 The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify.

NIV

It is highly unlikely we would find ourselves in a court of law refusing to testify against someone who we know committed a crime. This seems to be the direction this proverb is headed. If we were to refuse to testify about facts we are aware of and who it is that committed that crime, we would be under the same punishment as the breaker of the law. We would be considered to be his accomplice. Yet how often, if ever, would we find ourselves in that situation? Does this proverb then have no bearing on our everyday lives? What purpose then does it serve within the context that all scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for rebuking, correcting, teaching and training in righteousness? Is it possible this could be seen in the sense of our daily lives among the community of believers? What if we are aware of a brother in Christ who is engaged in some wrong doing? Would we go to him and testify of his behavior? Would we remain silent, afraid of his response? Is our silence the same as being his accomplice? Our brother or sister may not be involved in some grievous act of carnage, such as murder, stealing adultery or some other physical offense. But would an unforgiving attitude be allowed to go unchecked or testified to be considered as an accomplice? What about jealousy, anger, bitterness, greed or some other attitude of the mind which is unpleasing to the Lord? Should we remain silent if we are aware of someone who is having such attitudes? Certainly we cannot go about accusing others of misdeeds of the heart. This has to be a situation where they may have even exposed themselves, but have no intention of making any change. If they have testified of their own attitudes which are not pleasing to God, and we do not encourage them to reconsider, to make a correction in the course of their lives, then have we become their accomplice? There are times when silence is no golden. We have an obligation first to God, but secondly to our brother or sister in Christ to testify regarding an offense we have absolute knowledge of. This cannot be supposition, or rumor, or gossip, this has to be unequivocal firsthand knowledge as the person telling us directly of their attitude. Let us first be willing to respond in conjunction with the Spirit, in love. But also let us be willing to hear a testimony against any of our attitudes which are an offense to God. Would we want any of our brothers or sisters to become an accomplice in our misdeeds and be under the same offense? God, forbid. So let us try to be open and transparent with each other so we all can build each other up until we reach the unity in the faith. Let us all forgo being accomplices and become encouragers.

The best way

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE BEST WAY

Prov 29:23

23 A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

NIV

To be prideful about some aspect of our lives is not a worthy attribute. We could be prideful about our own abilities or intellectual prowess. We could be prideful because of our wealth. We could be prideful of our position either in our profession or in the community of believers. We could be prideful of our spirituality. We even might be prideful of the work of God in our lives, how much he has blessed us. We might be prideful about our righteousness, how little we sin, if any at all and how well be behave following all the rules and how much we do at church. It almost becomes bragging in a sense and we know for sure there are not many people who like a braggart. There will be little to no honor given for such a person. However being humble is the desired trait, yet it is even possible to be prideful in our humbleness. The idea here is that we are but sinners saved by grace. It is all God and none of us. Being of lowly spirit is understanding our wretched estate. We can do nothing apart from Christ. We are the branches, he is the vine. We are the tree which bears fruit only as we are planted by the stream of living water, Christ. Understanding we live in a corruptible form, the body is weak and it is going to fail us and God. We cannot keep ourselves from sinning. Perfection in the body is not possible, yet we should endeavor to live as best we can to please God. It is not that we should just go on sinning so his grace may increase, God forbid. But we have to understand we have nothing to be proud about. Our lives have a purpose which God has established. We merely need to live as we are guided by him, through the Spirit. We are weak, but he is strong. We fail, he does not. To be prideful is to not know self, to be humble or be of lowly spirit is to fully know self. Then we truly know we need Jesus. This is the best way. 

Unity or Division

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

UNITY OR DIVISION

Prov 29:22

22 An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

NIV

There is always somebody upset about something, whether someone is doing too much of something or not enough about something. There are protests aimed at government or rather a person in government elected by the majority. There are protests about social issues. There are protests about religion misusing the concept of separation of church and state. There is someone or several in the workplace that stir up dissension against management, or at least regarding one person in management.  It always seems these who protest are angry, and it is their intent to stir up dissension. There is even people within Christendom that seem to stir up dissension. We have seen churches split over bitter disputes about something. Maybe the present pastor, maybe about some supposed doctrinal statement. The point is wherever people are present we will find someone angry about something. We will also witness their attempts to garner support for their cause. It matters not to them that they are causing dissension, their tempers are aflame and they are committing many sins. We need to be on guard against such individuals as well as making sure we do not become like them. We are admonished to build each other up not tear each other down. When we are faced with a situation of discontent sometimes silence is golden. That is we should not join in these types of conversations which are attempts of stirring up dissension. Perhaps it is done unwillingly, complaining about someone or something that is happening. Whenever we disparage or maligned a person’s character or actions it may be nothing more than mere gossip, which may cause the listener of such speech to think poorly of the person being maligned. There is no cause for such attitudes against others. We are admonished to love each other, and not just the people who love us, but also our enemies, if we have any. We should never join in such gossip or talk about or against someone. Maybe we might consider those who oppose our political, social, religious or workplace views as our enemies, but still we should love them, encouraging unity rather than division. 

Praise or grief

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

PRAISE OR GRIEF

Prov 29:21

21 If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will bring grief in the end.

NIV

This, Solomon may have spoken from personal experience. We can see the account of his taking notice of a young slave, Jeroboam in Kings 11. He raised him to a position of authority over other slaves. In some sense he had pampered this Jeroboam and this slave later rebelled against Solomon. Even though some prophet from Shiloh indicated he should, it was not his place to rebel against his king, he was still a slave. This was not a prophet of God, but of Shiloh. However, the meaning of bringing grief in the end is also in question as the word, according to our Lexicons is difficult to determine it’s meaning as it is only used once in the Old Testament and it is here. Some think it could be seen as heir of sonship. This would give the meaning that if a slave is pampered from youth he will assume he is an heir, he will want an inheritance thinking himself a son rather than a slave. But what relevance does that have on our lives? We have no slaves to pamper, but we have children. Could we say that if we pamper our children too much they will bring us grief later in life? That might be very true indeed. But still we could also see this as us being the slaves to sin. If Satan pampers us too much, giving us all the pleasures of life, making our lives filled with good things, it will not bring him any grief, but surely will bring us grief in the end. There is no question Satan will pamper us. He wants nothing more for us be his sons. Before we became a child of God, we were in fact a slave to sin, to Satan and his promises of pleasure. He still presents us with temptations to lure us away from God. He offers so many things to attract our attention. Although many believers may not yield to one temptation, they find another most entertaining. Over the years we have made lists of such temptations which we should avoid at all costs. Among are drinking, smoking, cursing, dancing, movies or other questionable places. But we have never put the desire of wealth on such a list. Yet God warns us over and over again that we cannot serve him and money at the same time. If Satan pampers us with wealth, has he drawn us away from God, secretly? We might still say we love the Lord, but in our hearts we trust more in our riches than we do in God. This will bring grief in the end. We might also consider if God pampers us, but then we would have to say we are slaves of God, which we are not. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are no longer slaves to sin, but now have been given the right to be called sons and daughters of God. We are in fact co-heirs with Christ. We have sonship, and as such we have all that rights of heirs. We will inherit eternal life, and join Jesus at the right hand of God. We will live in the paradise of God for all eternity. God does pamper us, but he also disciplines us, corrects us, and instructs us so we will not bring him grief in the end. If we were not left with his discipline, corrections and instructions we would certainly fall into a lifestyle which would grieve him. Let us live under his Lordship accepting his discipline with a willing heart so we might bring him praise rather than grief. 

Purveyor of Wisdom

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

PURVEYOR OF WISDOM

Prov 29:20

20 Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

NIV

Haste makes waste is a favorite saying of people who take a long time in doing some task. But it is also true in how we approach our words. To simply babble useless words without thought as to how they may affect the feelings of others is certainly spoken in haste. The Hebrew word translated haste besides meaning in a hurry, it carries the meaning of being narrow or in a narrow place. This might be seen as the opposite of width or depth. This hurried speech is narrow or has no depth. It seems it would be far better to weigh our words before uttering them. How will our words be heard or comprehended? Will they have a positive or negative effect on the hearer? If we speak in haste we can most likely expect a negative result, thus being foolish in our speaking. Let us consider our words, be slow to speak, but when we do, speak with words of substance. Alexander Pope is credited with the saying, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. This is also true of our words. Why do we need to feel rushed in either offering information or a response to either a comment or question? We should be advised to thoughtfully consider what we are about to offer or respond with. We cannot take back words. Once blurted out they are forever out there, much as words written on social media, they cannot be erased, they even travel the course of time. We only need to view documents that have been written thousands of years ago, they still speak, either great truths or foolish babble. So too we should not be so hasty in our making a comment or responding to someone’s post on social media. We always need to remember we represent our Lord and Savior. We are his ambassadors to the lost and dying world. People should not see us as being foolish in our comments, but rather a purveyor of wisdom. 

Responding

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

RESPONDING

Prov 29:19

19 A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond.

NIV

It is a good thing we are not servants. Jesus tells us that a servant has no permanent place in a family, but a son does.

John 8:34-37

34 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

NIV

A slave, although he may understands the words spoken to him about salvation through faith in Jesus, does not hear them, for his slavery is to sin. We cannot talk someone into the kingdom. Yes, we have an obligation to share the gospel message, but we cannot correct the lives of a person who is a slave to sin. This is up to the work of the Holy Spirit to convict this slave of his sin, and need of repentance. We were once that slave, but praise to God for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sin and then going back into heaven so he could send the Holy Spirit to do his work in our lives, bringing us to repentance and belief in Jesus. Jesus has set us free, we are no longer slaves to sin, but free sons and daughter of God. We have a permanent place in the family and as well as we hear the words of correction. We have to understand that just by words of correction to someone who is considered a slave to sin, an unbeliever, they will not respond. We can only but witness to them about what God has done in our lives. This may give them a hope of having some of the same joy we have being set free and having a permanent place in the family of God. Yet our words are not enough. Slavery to sin is a strong bond. Sin is a strong taskmaster, holding tight the bonds it has wrapped its slaves in. Sin is a liar, telling its slave it is their right to do whatever they want, that they are free to do as they please. But it binds its slave even tighter with each act of sin, and deafens their ear to the sound of truth. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can break through those bonds and open the ears and hearts of the slave to sin. Let us continue to partnership with Him and be an agent of truth knowing exactly when and who he is working on to free them so they will not only understand, but respond. 

Finding Joy

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

FINDING JOY

Prov 29:18

18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

NIV

The Hebrew would says; where there is no vision, no oracle, no divine communication the people will perish. This is what is meant by people casting off restraint. If we do not have any restraints on our behavior we will indeed perish. The Hebrew would translated perish means to ignore, let loose, let alone, neglect, show lack of restraint. This simply means to us that without the revelation of the divine word in our hearts we have no chance to live rightly. When people cast off the word of God, when they ignore it, when they let loose of it, they have no restraint. This type of attitude and/or behavior also brings about the other sense of the word perish. How can a person enter into the rest of God when they live without the keeping of the law? Yet we have been freed from the law, as it means the Mosaic Law, but we have not been released from the law of love, which Jesus says is the greatest command. If we look back at the Jewish people and when they lived according to God’s ways, they were happy. But when they rejected, when they lost their vision, they fell into slavery and were indeed very unhappy. We have an opportunity to have a vision. We have many ways in which we can have this vision. We can hear the voice of the Spirit either while in prayer or while we sleep, in a dream. We can hear the word of God exclaimed by an oracle, a prophet or preacher. We can see a vision through reading the scriptures. Here is where we find true happiness for in a vision, in a revelation of the truth of God we find our salvation, our eternal life as well as the joy of the Lord in our daily living. This happiness in not in abiding by the Mosaic Law as even the Jewish people were not truly happy trying to be successful at fulfilling every aspect of the law. It was a burden to them as it was meant to show them they could not find peace with God or his salvation through abiding by the Law. He was showing them through it, they needed a Savior and when he sent them Jesus, their Savior, they rejected him for the Law. They are still unhappy today and they will perish, although they say they serve Jehovah. They have no revelation, no vision of the Savior. We, on the other hand have seen the vision and experience the joy of the Lord. We live with certain restraints, although we have freedom in Christ. Some have taken those restraints to extreme as did the Pharisees. Some set up man-made rules over the years such as: No drinking, no smoking, no dancing, no movies, and no roller rinks, no, no and no whatever else some denominations included in their lists of don’ts. Many of these don’ts have fallen by the wayside in our more modern times, but some of them still linger on. But the joy of the Lord is not found in these restraints, however total unbridled living is not the answer either for experiencing pure joy. We cannot keep the Law, we cannot keep our own form of the law. What we can keep is our vision, our revelation, our salvation by remaining or maintaining our faith in Jesus. He is life, He is the source of life, and He is the only way we will find eternal life as well as pure joy in this life. Let us live in the joy of the Lord. 

Peace and Delight

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

PEACE AND DELIGHT

Prov 29:17

17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

NIV

This is somewhat the opposite of when the wicked thrive so does sin, which we just saw in the previous proverb. Here the father exacts discipline on his children and they grow up in a righteous manner instead of the wicked self-orientated manner. This self-centered undisciplined child brings disgrace to his mother. But here the child who is disciplined brings peace to his father, and/or mother. The disciplined child will also delight the soul of the parent. Although this is true in our humanity, it is even truer in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. When we accept his discipline we experience peace with God. It is when we rebel against his discipline there is no peace and we have not brought delight to God. Just as we human parents are delighted when our children react positively to our correction or discipline, so is God delighted when we react positively to his discipline. The Hebrew word translated as discipline can be used in several manners. It could be used as to chastise with blows, literally to whip with blows. Most parents and certainly God would not strike blows with a whip on their children. The word is also used in the figuratively sense of with words, or to instruct. This is the sense this word carries within the context of this proverb as well as throughout the scriptures. God does not whip us, but he does instruct us. Whipping implies punishment, instruction implies corrective criticism to enhance our lives. When we accept the instruction of our Father we live a far better life then we would if we rejected his instruction. When we live according to our own pattern, our own ideas of what is right, we live outside of the truth of God. But when we live according to his instruction, we live in the peace of God, we live in peace with God and we delight him, because we have accepted his instruction in order to find our way back to him, through Jesus Christ. However his discipline, his instruction does not end there. We should always be in the mode of learning from his instructions for our daily life. Here is where we find peace, joy, contentment, fulfilled of our soul, and his delight. We cannot live with both our own ideas of truth and his. It is not a both/and, but either/or. We cannot serve two masters, self and God. We either live according to his discipline or our own. Ours is flawed, his is not. Let us submit to his instruction and live well, living to please the Father, bringing peace and delight to him.  

Prevent the downfall

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

PREVENT THE DOWNFALL

Prov 29:16

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.

NIV

Just by the sheer numbers of wicked people their wickedness is more widely accepted. Those who God considers as wicked are merely people who live for their own self-interests rather than hold to God’s moral, physical and spiritual code. The more there are of them, the more they approve of they own ways. Their wickedness is increased because their own approval of it because that allows them to increase in their wickedness. It is like a snowball effect. The world we live in is, as they say, going to hell in a handbasket. We see this in the arena of politics. It is so open for all to see. Many local, state and even federal laws protect wicked acts so to promote votes to keep those lawmakers in the seat of power. Many have abandoned any moral values at all. Sin thrives within the heart, because it has no consequence in this world. However, this world is only temporary. It is true many righteous people have fallen asleep, died in the physical, without seeing the downfall of the wicked. We too may step into eternity without witnesses they downfall. It would seem they wickedness is like a juggernaut, but an end of them will come. One day we all will see it. There is coming a day when the whole of mankind will stand before the Almighty God. Those of us who are in Christ have nothing to fear, for we are the sheep of his pasture and will be granted entrance into his rest, the new city of Jerusalem, the paradise of God. But those who are the wicked will have no rights before God. They will be judged for their wicked lives, and found guilty, which the punishment is the second death, the lake of burning sulfur. Their lives of wickedness will be their downfall. They may thrive in this world for a time, but this world will end, and their thriving will end with it. It might feel good to know this and to think, they will get theirs, but that would not be demonstrating the love of God. If we see them as wicked and hold them in contempt or feel any jealously because they may not just thrive in wickedness, but in materialism and liberties, that we do not, that would not be because of the love of God. If we see them as our enemy in any way, opposing that which we hold dear, it would not be the love of God. However, if we see them of being in need of salvation, of experiencing forgiveness for their sin, then it would be the love of God shining through our lives. They are in need of God. They are lost and condemned because of their own choice to live without Jesus in their lives. Have they been given the opportunity to know Jesus as we do? Has anyone loved them enough to share Jesus with them? Some of them may be the nicest people we will ever meet. Just because God considers them wicked, which is defined as not accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior, they may be what we would call a good person. They may well live a somewhat of a decent life, but still have not experienced the salvation of God. They too will come to a downfall. How can we stand by and allow them to come to such an end? Should we not be willing to add to the flock of God? Most of us do want others to know Jesus. So let us get out there where the wicked live and spread the love of Christ so they too may enter into his rest. Let us do what we can, in cooperation with the Spirit to prevent the downfall. 

Wisdom or disgrace

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

WISDOM OR DISGRACE

Prov 29:15

15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

We find it most interesting many of our scholars of old put all the blame upon the mother for being weak and the one who spoils the child thus producing a self-indulgent offspring which disgraces her. There is much truth in the child left to grow without any correction becoming a self-indulgent adult. A disciplined life is not the result of growing up without correction. But the parent given this responsibility is not the mother, but rather the father. 

1 Tim 3:12-13

12 A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13 Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.

NIV

Although these are instructions Paul gives to Timothy regarding the leadership of the church, they also speak to every family structure. Prior to these instructions for deacons, he gives the instructions for the shepherd or pastor and they include:

1 Tim 3:3-4

 4 He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect.

NIV

It is not the mother who carries this burden of making sure the children in the family are reared properly. God holds the father accountable for his family. It may well be the father might delegate certain areas of rearing the children to the mother, but ultimately it is his responsibility to make sure the children are corrected and respectful, growing up so not to bring any shame on their mother. This by no means implies the father should not love his children. We only need to see how much our Father loves us, yet corrects us as well. Have we lost this principle in our modern families? Have we fathers abdicated our position in the family? It would be a shame for men to fail to live up to their God-ordained responsibilities. We need only see God the Father as our example. Regardless of the feminist viewpoint that God is also a mother, or has no gender at all, which neither have no scriptural basis, God is the Father. Jesus refers to him as Father over and over again. The Greek word is Pater which means father, not parent, not mother. It is also true that in our modern families we have some who lack a father. Surely the mother must step up and correct her children for that is the wise thing to do. No child should be left to grow without correction no matter the family structure. It is also true many older parents no longer have small children to rear, having them already grown adults, married with their own children. But the point is we must have families who do not leave their children to grow without discipline. Doing so will be the downfall of that society. The family needs wisdom or it will experience disgrace. 

Secure or Not

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

SECURE OR NOT

Prov 29:14

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.

NIV

The king or royal is a rare community in our modern age. Surely during the time of Solomon there were many kings and this may have been directed at earthy kingdoms and how the ruler handled the lives of his subjects. Today there may be a few kings or queens left as in the case of the royals in England, but they are not truly the single governing monarch nor do they judge the people. Even dictators are not the single judge of the people under their rule, as kings were in days of old. So then what bearing can this have on us, what truth is there for our lives? We live in a country that is a republic, electing those who represent us in a somewhat self-form of government. It would then be us judging ourselves in a sense, as the president with the approval of congress appoint judges. So how do we see this truth as it relates to a king always having his throne secure because he judges the poor with fairness? We could consider God as the only true king as he is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. We might be able see that if a person feels God has mistreated him, judged his actions too harshly, he might dethrone God from his heart. It might be possible that a persons who professes to believe in God, having him be the supreme king of his heart, get mad at God because of what he thinks is unfair treatment, and remove God from his heart, turning away. But the person who knows God is supreme, that has submitted the rule of his heart to God, and knows that God’s judgement is always right, that God knows the best for his life, will acknowledge the secure throne of God in his heart. Sometimes certain unfortunate events happen in life that are not an unfair judgment of God, but merely a consequence of a bad choice by us. Yet even in those times we need always to know that God is just, he is always fair, his judgements are pure and true, and he is always there to guide us back to the right path, the right choices. We only have to remember Adam. He made the worst choice of a life-time and paid the penalty. But God did not judge him unfairly for he told him the consequence before he made the choice. Even when God does judge, he judges only after he has made it clear what his judgment will be if we do not follow his commands. That is not the law as some would think, for Adam did not have the law, only one command. We are no longer subject to that law either, but only have one, well actually two commands, but still are really one.

Matt 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

Make God the supreme king in our hearts, all of our being subject to him, his throne must be secure in our heart for we bow to his sovereignty. His love rules within us and therefore his love lives through us into the lives of others around us. The question is; if we are not acting out of love toward others, have we dethroned God from our heart. Is his throne secure or not? Do we get bent out of shape when something does not go our way, get angry, even with God? Is his throne secure or not? Do we tend to be more self-centered than God-centered in our choices in life? Is his throne secure or not? 

Together

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

TOGETHER

Prov 29:13

13 The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

NIV

In the Hebrew it is more like when the poor man and the oppressor come together or meet, the Lord enlightens them both. It may be or may not be implied that the oppressor is engaged on injuring the poor man. What is implied is they have something in common. The Lord works within all men, whether they are poor or are oppressive type individuals. But there is this idea conveyed by the Hebrew they are meeting together. However there is some difference in the interpretation of the words translated poor and oppressor. Some of the earlier manuscripts use debtor and usuer, some use poor and lender, others use the poor and the rich. But the idea is the same. The Lord has made them both and he gives insight to anyone who seeks it. It matters not the station in life, God sees all men as equal. He is not a respecter of persons, he does not show favoritism. A person may be extremely wealthy and still have insight into the word of God. A man may be extremely poor and also have great insight into the word of God. Where the challenge is in the meaning of the words in common. In the Hebrew it means to meet, to encounter, or to meet each other. This is more than just having the same thing in common, as being of the same language, or country, or ethnic group, or for that matter, saved. This is having some kind of business dealings with each other, borrower and lender. Just because a man is of means and can lend does not mean he is a mean or vicious character and lends with exorbitant interest. It merely is implied that the Lord may well use this person to enhance the life of the poorer one. It also may mean the poor person by borrowing enhances the life of the lender. God blesses both persons in the common exchange. Is that God giving approval to the system of credit? Doubtful as he also says we should owe no man anything. Of course that is difficult in the modern era for we would never be able to buy a home or a car, or a college education for that matter, without incurring debt. But the main point here is that God blesses all people who come to know him. This should give us the insight that we too should see all people as equal, not prejudging them because of either their wealth or poverty. We all have one thing in common, that is we all meet together in our humanity, created by God, and we all are sinners. It is just right now some of us are sinners saved by grace, and other sinners have not accept that grace yet. But we are all in common in the fact we are not perfect, but rather sinners. God offers grace to all class of people and this proverb tells us we all come together at the cross. 

The lie and the Truth

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE LIE AND THE TRUTH

Prov 29:12

12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

NIV

Who of us is a ruler that this proverb should have any bearing on our lives? It is true that any ruler who listens to lies would certainly have influence over his officials and that would be in the direction of wrongdoing. It takes a just ruler who rejects lies to have a just government of officials. Although that may not be always true in all cases. There has been rulers, presidents in our country who may not have ever listened to a lie. This listening is not just hearing a lie, but embracing it. The Hebrew word translated listen means to harken to, to prick the ears. That is to want to believe or accept the lie as truth. Perhaps we have had some presidents who were not eager or harken to a lie, but we have still had officials who are indeed wicked on their own accord. Is there any way we can bring that down to our level? Indeed we who are the head of our households could be consider a ruler in some sense. It is not that we sit on a throne and demand obedience to our every word, as a king of old might, or some dictator of today. But we have the responsibility to God for those in our family. Every scripture which speaks of the family structure puts a heavy responsibility upon the head of the household. So then if the head of the household is eager to listen to lies, would it not make sense the rest of the household would be effected by those lies? One example we could think of is the lies of the false prophets, or modern day phony preachers. Many of them broadcast their lies over various forms of media hoping to snare many others into their trap of lies in order to obtain followers and thus more money from those who listen. If we are enticed by their prosperity messages, our whole family suffers and is dragged away from the truth, thus would be considered wicked. It behooves us to be careful as to who we listen to so that our family is not subject to those same lies. Those who are the head of households need to ensure the spiritual well-being of their family and listen to the Spirit, rather than man, would be a good start. That is not to say we should abstain from church and fellowship or hearing the word of God preached. The Spirit will lead us to the right fellowship, the right church where a true man of God shares the truth and not lies. So if we are filled with the Spirit, living in accordance with the Spirit, keeping in step with the Spirit, we will discern the difference between the lie and the truth, leading our family into righteousness rather than wickedness. 

Stroke instead of strike

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

STROKE INSTEAD OF STRIKE

Prov 29:11

11 A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

NIV

Emotions are a natural element of the human condition. God designed us to have emotions otherwise we would all be nothing more than mindless useless living organisms. Our emotions are what allow us to love, to have compassion, to grieve and to be angry. This emotion of anger is at the center of this proverb. It is foolish to lose control of oneself and give full vent of any anger that is stirred up within us. There is no doubt certain things, or people can stimulate this emotion of anger. Matthew, Mark and John record the time Jesus made a whip and drove out those in the temple who were selling sacrifices and the money changers. Was Jesus filled with anger? It was a righteous indignation regarding their desecration of the house of God. Certainly we could exhibit that kind of anger which would be centered on those who defame the name of God. But even then it would not be right to give full vent to that righteous indignation. However, this proverb deals more with our human anger over being insulted or having our feelings or emotions, hurt. There could be a host of reasons we could be brought to anger, but all of them are centered on our self-concern or what might be called selfishness. If we are always thinking about ourselves, thinking everyone else should act accordingly as to always be doing or saying that which is pleasing to us, then we are certain to be subject to anger.  Unfortunately everything and everyone does not revolve around us. We have to live within a world where people are going to say, or do something which displeases us. What we do with that is the central theme of this proverb. Do we give full vent to that anger? Maybe we could just give half vent to it. Would that not be keeping ourselves under control? No, any venting, any giving forth of our mind because of any amount of anger is foolish. It does not bring any resolution to any relationship, it only heightens or escalates emotion of anger. It is most wise to keep ourselves under control. This does not mean we can harbor or hide our anger within and somehow think we are under control. The control spoken about here has a meaning from the Hebrew word to soothe, to still, to stroke. This would imply that instead of venting, or yelling out in anger, we would soothe over the situation, we would react with stillness, calmness, and give kindness in return, to stroke instead of strike. It may not be within the human realm to accomplish this fully, or even partially. This is why we need to remain in Christ for apart from him we can do nothing, not even fully have self-control. Yet that is one of the fruit of the Spirit and as we give way to the Spirit, which is the wisest to do, we will be able to stroke instead of strike.