True Wealth

For Friday, June 10, 2005
Proverbs 10:15

A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

First, consider this proverb as an observation. The rich man uses wealth to build financial security, and if used wisely, to build a stable, productive life. The poverty of the poor can, and often does, break the spirit and well-being of the poor. They become entrapped in a cycle of poverty.

Now, consider this proverb spiritually. The spiritual riches of the Christian - "the riches of God's glorious inheritance in the saints" (Eph 1:18) - is his strong city. He is able to withstand the struggles of life because he knows his inheritance. When we know who we are, what we possess, and what is our destiny, then we can endure whatever troubles may come our way. The riches of God form the strong city walls.

But for the one spiritually poor, who does not possess the gospel and its blessings, then such poverty truly is their ruin. Just look about you at the hardness, the pain, the myriad of troubles that beset those who do not know the love of Christ, who have no hope of an eternal inheritance.

I remember an elderly woman coming to me for counsel on how to deal with her mother and sister who, according to her, mistreated her. She was a Christian and they were not. I counseled her not to resent them, but all the more to pity them and pray for them. She was wealthy; they were poor. Let us have compassion on the poor - yes, those who are financially poor, but all the more for those poor in the gospel. Instead of resenting your colleagues who try you, pray with compassion for them; pray that God would use you to show the riches they might have in Christ.

Laying Up Knowledge

For Thursday, June 9, 2005
Proverbs 10:14

The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

The wise build up storehouses of knowledge. You go a wise person and he/she always seems to have a good answer, even if it is to lead you to where the right answer is. A wise person lays up knowledge through all of life's experiences. He lays up knowledge from his mistakes, from his wrong turns, as well as from his successes. Every incident becomes a learning experience. Like a fool with his money is the fool with life experience; he loses the value of the experience as fast as it passes out of memory. And like the fool whose handling of money only makes him more destitute, so his experiences make him more dangerous. The older, more experienced he becomes the more false confidence rises in him, so that he thinks he is spouting wisdom while in reality is spouting foolishness and arrogance.

What are you going to learn today from your experiences? Whether your experiences are pleasant or distasteful, will you grow in wisdom, using your experience to grow in knowledge and maturity? What is God teaching you about himself? What are you learning about grace and the gospel? How is God's Word being tested for its truthfulness through your experiences? Lay up knowledge today.

Good Wisdom Hunting

For Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Proverbs 10:13

On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

As principal of CCA I had students who could not figure out why teachers were hard on them. Their best conclusion was that the teachers just had it in for them for no particular reason, unless it was because they did not try to be favorites like those students who were clearly the teachers' pets. These "oppressed" students lacked sense. They could not make the connection between their poor behavior and lazy work habits and they way their teachers regarded them. I would try to explain how the teachers probably were harder on them than the others because of their (the students) attitude and behavior. But no, they couldn't believe that would be the real reason.

How refreshing is the person, though, with understanding. Instead of the nonsensical thought pattern of the fool, clear commonsense wisdom comes forth. It is such a delight to be around the person who is able to cut through ambiguity and faulty reasoning and speaks wisdom. How refreshing then was Jesus in cutting through the stilted, foggy reasoning of the scribes and Pharisees and getting to the real truth of biblical principles and commands. Why don't you turn to the gospels and read a passage of his teaching. Delight in the pure wisdom and the one man with perfect understanding.

To Hate or to Love

For Tuesday, June 7, 2005
Proverbs 10:12

Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.

Let me ask you today. In the next 24 hours, will you commit to prayer that your words and actions will promote peace? There is a likely chance that someone will say or do something offensive, either to you or in your company. Will you cover over the offense? There will be opportunity for you to stir up strife through a careless remark. Most likely you will stir up trouble in someone's spirit if you do not consciously pray for Christ's love to work in you. We are sinners. Without the Spirit's work in us, we will sin like a car out of alignment that will veer from the road if our hands are removed from the steering wheel.

Don't read this proverb thinking that you do not hate anyone, thus you are not guilty of stirring up strife. If by love you are not covering offenses made against you, you are opening yourself up to stir up strife. There is a good chance that at work, school, the store, the neighborhood, and the home there is opportunity to stir up trouble or further trouble by making the careless remark or response to someone else's stirring the pot. The truth of the matter is that our words and actions reveal either hatred or love. There is no inbetween. To be indifferent to another person is to hate. To show the smallest of concern is to love. Every person we meet today is an opportunity to hate or to love. Which will it be for you?

Fountain of Life

For Monday, June 6, 2005
Proverbs 10:11

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

The words spoken by the righteous give life, as a river gives life to the land it flows through. For the words that come out of a person who is Christ-like are words of truth, love, and grace. The words spoken are true, not false; frank, not deceptive; faithful to God's Word, not adding or twisting his meaning. The words are loving, not violent; intended to build up, not tear down or win a score. The words are gracious, spoken with kindness and generosity.

But the words of the wicked harm and destroy life. They break the spirits of others; they are deceptive; they are harsh; they are spoken by a person desiring his own advantage over others.

Whatever the words are, they neither make the speaker righteous or wicked. Jesus said as much in Mark 7:14ff and in Matthew 7:15ff. What comes out of the heart defiles and reveals a person. This is also the perspective of proverbs. Out of a righteous heart life giving words will come; out of a wicked heart, harmful words will come. To our shame and confusion, we speak both kinds of words. As James notes in 3:10: "From the same mouth come blessing and cursing." Be reminded that though Christ has saved us and imputed his righteousness to us, that we nevertheless have the old sinful nature clinging to us. The work of sanctification will always be necessary in us. All the more then, to dedicate ourselves to praying for words that are a fountain of life to come out of us. Think of this way: we have the fountain of life in us - the life-giving Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, the plumbing through which the water passes through and out of us is still tainted with sin-germs. Diligent filtering still needs to take place to prevent harmful words from coming out. The best filtering monitoring device is still conscious, consistent, honest prayer.