Scripture Passage

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Big Idea

Today is everything.

Devotional Reading

From my experience and short time on this earth, the Lord has really magnified the importance of “right now”, “this very moment”, “today”. How critical it is for me to make it through the moments of now, most of all to make those moments count, and glorify Him in “all things”, not just what I feel like or choose. Today really is everything, because with Him, it frees me of the heavy burdens from all of my “yesterdays”, from my dreadful past. And it has been with Him, and through the promises He has given me, that I have hope and reassurance for the future and all of my “tomorrows”. Through time and growth, I have learned these lessons through the school of faith, discipline, obedience, trust, and patience. I have learned this through many tears, sorrow, and much grief, but also with much joy, comfort, and peace. I know this moment will eventually take me to those monumental moments I long for. They will all be with purpose, for His plan and for His glory.

I have learned to trust, not through any formulas, nor any set of rules. Rather it has been the beautiful, yet painful process of waking up each morning, as if the day before had never happened. Waking up and trusting the Lord with my circumstances, and thanking Him for His continuous mercy and grace. I am thankful I turned my eyes to Him and started being intentional in my relationship with Him. I had a serious lack of a relationship with the Lord in January, 2010. I thought I was doing “good” and going to church. My external looked pretty good, or so I thought, but my test and real lesson, internally, would follow that next April.

April 20, 2010, was the first time I ever purchased a day planner. I was so excited to write down my schedule, excited at the motivation I had to attempt to become organized. The very first thing I wrote down was, “Meet Eileen @ 8:30 – Hastings” on April 20, 2010. I continued writing out my schedule for the rest of the week. I made it to Hastings for coffee with Eileen that evening, but I never made it to the rest of my scheduled week. The Lord had other plans. My plans were abruptly changed that evening. My life, and the lives of many other people, were forever changed, all within moments.

I left Hastings in the back of an ambulance with two gunshot wounds, with memories that haunt and sadden me to this day. I am learning what it looks like to trust the Lord with my circumstances, whether good or bad, big or small. I’m learning what it looks like to trust in Him right now, today, in this moment. He said in His Word that I would have trouble, but He also said I should take heart, and be encouraged, because He has already overcome it all. I must continue to trust in Him and His promises, seek Him TODAY, while I can still call it today, and trust Him in all things and all ways. Every single moment counts. We have the choice to make it worthwhile or worthless. I’ve had more worthless days than worthwhile days, but thankfully, He doesn’t keep any record. Thankfully, He loves me regardless. Such mercy and grace is a beautiful and unexplainable thing. There have also been many days in which I did not understand my circumstances, but I know when my understanding fails, trust will always endure. The task before me certainly is all unclear. I have no idea what tomorrow may bring. But I do know whatever it may be, I will be okay. He has overcome it all and He is what I will continue to boast about, even when the pain of this life may seem too much at times. I know He will always be more. I am so thankful for this life, and for the gift I have of today.

Questions for Reflection

1. What things in your past need to be left behind so you can be hopeful for today?
2. How do you balance making plans for the future with allowing for the Lord’s intervention that may disrupt your plans?
3. What will you “reach” for today, this week, this year, in anticipation of how the Lord is working in your life?

Scripture Passage

Proverbs 26:18-19 Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, I was only joking!

Big Idea

Many of us enjoy joking with those we know and love; it’s part of how we relate and communicate our affection. At times, though, careless humor can become a weapon that does serious damage to those around us.

Devotional Reading

“Firebrands, arrows, and death.” Upon reading those words, my mind immediately recalls dramatic scenes of combat portrayed by Hollywood in films like Gladiator or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The archers in these stories fling their devastating weapons through the air and bring their enemies to ruin. The book of Proverbs, however, places the deadly image of the archer in a more unexpected context: our daily relationships.

Many in America grew up with the maxim, “Words will never hurt me,” but the wisdom of Scripture paints a very different picture. The person who carelessly deceives those around him, even in a misguided attempt at humor, has the effect of a madman launching arrows into a crowd and setting buildings on fire. What are these weapons, and what is their effect?

The firebrand is, simply, a piece of burning wood. In a peaceful environment, a firebrand might warm the hearth of a home or cook a delicious meal. Thrown during combat, however, it can potentially set fire to everything around it: people, homes, forests, even entire cities.

Like the firebrand, practical jokes or well-timed verbal jabs might bring mutual laughter and smiles to a dull moment with friends. Unfortunately, deceptive jokes also carry the same danger: we can inadvertently harm our friends and family, and the emotional firestorm has the potential to spread uncontrollably if others become involved.

Most of us are familiar with the arrow, of course. It’s a shaft, tipped with a point, and launched from a bow. It has one purpose: to pierce destructively. It is designed in such a way that the natural defenses of the body, such as skin or quick reflexes, offer no protection at all. Soldiers fighting against archers need to cover their bodies with armor and take shelter behind their shields; an unprepared target is defenseless.

In our relationships, we might also armor ourselves for confrontation in certain situations. Meetings, debates, or unfamiliar people may cause us to preemptively defend ourselves against attack. When we are with people that we trust, however, we often let down our guard and relax. That’s why deceptive jokes against a neighbor can be so damaging — when you let your words and actions fly like an arrow toward your neighbor, they’ll probably land on a defenseless target.

Most importantly, it seems that “I was only joking,” isn’t a valid excuse when things don’t turn out like we expect. Proverbs reveals that others can experience legitimate hurt when we strike them with careless humor. If we’ve wounded our neighbor, we need to recognize he might need care and significant time to recover — and he deserves a legitimate apology. According to the next few verses in Proverbs 26, fighting about it only adds fuel to the fire.

Questions for Reflection

1. What kind of wounds have I received from the ill-timed or deceptive pranks of others?
2. Is there anyone I’ve wounded, even though I was only joking?
3. What elements of a relationship are more valuable than humor?

Scripture Passage

Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

Big Idea

We live in a world that is divided demographically, socially, economically, ethnically, politically, and spiritually. These differences have a tendency to polarize us, often creating real or imagined enemies. The way we as Christians choose to treat those so-called enemies (whether or imagined) can set us apart from the secular world.

Devotional Reading

The lesson of mercy found in Proverbs 25 permeates scripture, both the Old and New testaments. Moses taught in Exodus 23:4-5 that we should be willing to lend a hand to our enemy. David’s treatment of Saul is also a vivid example of mercy toward someone who persecutes him.

I see these examples of “enemy” in two somewhat different lights. In the example from Moses, the word refers to one from one’s community or area. In this context, I wonder if the enemy could be simply someone who has been unfriendly, distant, or haughty with us, someone we just don’t feel comfortable with. In other words, this might fall under the “imagined” enemy category. Though perhaps grudgingly, I might feel benevolent enough to render aid. “Good for me,” I’d say. “I swallowed pride and did my good deed.”

The example of David is, however, somewhat different, as I see it. Saul was indeed David’s real enemy, not because David made him so, but because Saul, under Satan’s influence, had chosen to make David his enemy out of pride and jealousy, perhaps bordering on insanity. In chapters 24 and 26 of 1 Samuel, we see David show mercy to his lord and king by sparing Saul’s life, though Saul had pledged to hunt down and kill him. A situation such as this makes mercy a little more difficult. Could I show such mercy if someone were threatening my children or grandchildren? Would I pass up an opportunity for revenge on someone who had threatened my country? Can I be merciful to those in leadership positions who would willfully divide us as Americans, thereby dismantling our spirit of unity and driving wedges between races, classes, genders? Not as easy, for sure. The human tendency is to seek revenge. Though I might not be able to render aid to a “real” enemy, I might at least learn to “turn the other cheek.”

The “coals of fire” or “burning coals” in Proverbs 22 is just one way to overcome evil with good. Treating an enemy with “food to eat” and “water to drink” actually makes him see his own shame. Kindness is so unexpected that it burns into his conscience, teaching him a lesson no violence could. Such action is the noblest of all because it succeeds in saving the enemy while destroying his enmity. Some of the most touching examples of mercy I’ve noted in my lifetime are the instances of those who have been willing to forgive and even minister to felons convicted of and serving time for murdering loved ones. Hard to imagine, but it happens, so it’s possible. What a testimony!

A final note: best to leave vengeance to God; it belongs to Him. He reminds us in Deuteronomy 32:35: “Vengence is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.”

Questions for Reflection

1. If you’ve been on the bitter end of an enemy attack or slight, how did you respond? Was it a biblical response?
2. Is there an “enemy” you’ve wronged that you need to make peace with? Minister to?
3. What are some steps you can take to “love your enemies?”

Scripture Passage

Proverbs 24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.

Big Idea

The prologue of Proverbs states the book’s purpose is “to give a course of instructions in wisdom, preparation for life, and the ways of life in God’s world.” It speaks about the fear of God to motivate us to obey His word, but we must know the full truth about God. In order to do that we must stay in His word. Yes, we do need to fear the truth about God, but we must also know that when we “blow it” and sin, and we will, the grace of God will allow us to ask for forgiveness and continue on.

Devotional Reading

I remember the day when I was 16 years old and had to confront my parents and tell them that I was pregnant. The news that they were about to have an unwed daughter that was still in high school and about to have a baby was unbearable for me to tell them. In fact, my sisters told them. The shame and hurt filled the room, and everyone was looking to me to have the answers. How could this have happened and what was I going to do about it? I wore the shame like it was a second layer of skin. I shamed my family, my parents, but mostly felt I shamed God.

Proverbs says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” but that is not the only knowledge you need to know. When I was a teenager, my family attended a church where the fear and wrath of the Lord often seemed to be the theme. It was one of the reasons I thought I had shamed God. Because of my sin, I was waiting for the wrath of God around every corner. So when I went into labor early with my second child and she had to fight to live, I thought that was some payment for my sin. I pleaded with the Lord in the back of the ambulance to save my child. I promised that I would try and live my life the right way. Wow, how sad it makes me to even say that. I had totally dismissed the grace of God and what Christ has done for me on the cross. It wasn’t until I came to Grace Church that I learned so much about God’s immeasurable grace. Proverbs 24:14 says, “So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; If you have found it, there is a prospect, And your hope will not be cut off.”

By looking only at the wrath of God, I was not understanding the fullness of Christ’s dying on the cross for me and how it wiped all my sins away–yes, even getting pregnant before marriage.

[Kim also wanted to point you to the song Come as You Are by Pocket Full of Rocks, which has been an encouragement to her. You can listen to the song at iTunes or Amazon MP3. — Webmaster]

Questions for Reflection

1. Have you ever “blown it” and felt shame?
2. Have you ever felt shame even after asking for forgiveness?
3. Do you believe that Christ’s dying on the cross has taken that sin and shame away?