The Good Man

For Friday, August 19, 2005
Proverbs 12:2

A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
but a man of evil devices he condemns.

This proverb seems to make the case that we do earn favor from the Lord, that he will accept us into heaven according to our goodness. Those who are good obtain favor; those who are bad lose out.

That last sentence is actually true. God does not receive the unrighteous into heaven. The problem is that no one is good. "None is righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). And as Jesus said, "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit" (Matthew 7:18). Every person then must somehow be made good for his deeds to be truly good and thus obtain God's saving favor.

Thanks be to God for sending the one Good Man, who perfectly fulfilled the law and obtained favor from the Lord that he might save his people. He has given to us his righteousness that we might be "good" before God and thus obtain his favor. Give thanks to God today for the Good Son of Man who has made you good before God. All the more determine to live in such a way, not to win, but to show your delight in God's favor.

Stupid Thinking

For Thursday, August 18, 2005
Proverbs 12:1

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates reproof is stupid.

That's a blunt translation! It gets, however, to the essential difference between the wise and the foolish; indeed, it expresses the reason why the wise are wise and the foolish are foolish. The lover of knowledge loves discipline because discipline leads him to knowledge. He wants to be corrected when his thinking is going astray because more dear to him than his ego is obtaining truth.

The fool hates reproof because more important to him than truth is his pride. It is more important to him to think that others consider him knowledgeable than to actually be knowledgeable. Opinion - opinion about himself - is what matters most.

That kind of thinking, according to the proverb, is plain stupid because it leaves the fool with a stupid mind. He is stupid about what truly matters and is stupid in relation to how much knowledge he possesses. The wise use reproof to their benefit, to train their minds, to gain further knowledge, to become more self-disciplined and thus lead to respect and usefulness.

Apply this spiritually. Remember, God disciplines us because we are his children. We are to desire discipline so that we may grow in righteousness, that we may know God rightly, that we may be useful in Christ's kingdom. We should desire to be corrected about our speech, our doctrine, our behavior so that all the more we will conform to Christ Jesus. Be alert to God's ways of correcting you today through your circumstances and the words of others, however they may be said to you.

Repaid Well

For Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Proverbs 11:31

If the righteous is repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!

This proverb aptly sums up chapter 11. "Righteousness delivers from death"; "a gracious woman gets honor"; "a man who is kind benefits himself"; "the one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward"; "whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live"; "the desire of the righteous ends only in good"; "one gives freely, yet grows all the richer"; "whoever brings blessing will be enriched"; "whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor"; "the righteous will flourish like a green leaf." Now if the righteous receive is repaid with blessing, all the more the wicked will be repaid with condemnatnion. The wicked receive disgrace, destruction, captivity, perished hope, trouble, hurt, deceptive wages, death, punishment, want, cursing, evil, empty inheritance.

If you care about yourself; if you want what is best for you, which path, then, should you choose? Whom should you choose to follow? In whom should you place your hope? Should you be angered by the person who uses wicked ways to get ahead of you, or should you pity him? Who is richer: your unscrupulous neighbor or you? Perhaps this prayer needs to be made for you today: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (Ephesians 1:17-18).

Good Fruit

For Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Proverbs 11:30

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life because good fruit comes from good trees. Jesus noted this. You can tell the heart of a person by the fruit he bears. One can try to imitate goodness, but if his heart is not good his outward goodness will appear superficial. There is a difference between controlling one's tongue from saying angry words and from not thinking of angry words at all. There certainly is a difference between learning to act good so as to get one's way and taking delight in blessing others. Focus on righteousness and the good fruit will come. Make Christ the model of righteousness and trust in him to provide that righteousness. A good tree is good because its roots draw rich nourishment. Find your nourishment in God's Word, in Christ's work, and in the Spirit's indwelling.

Finally, seek to be a soul-winner. There are different ways to capture. There is the face-to-face witness, doing good deeds, being a good friend; writing, praying. One thing that stymies us is projecting activities that unnerve us and may be what we are not gifted in doing; often the result is missing out on opportunities given us. Thus, as we fret about doing street evangelism, we miss the opportunity given when our neighbor strikes up a conversation with us. We don't need to ask God to give opportunity to witness, so much as to ask him to open our eyes to the many opportunities he already places before us.

Pray today that you will be a tree of life to your neighbor; pray that you may capture a soul through your love and good fruit. And thank God that he captured you!

Inheritance

For Monday, August 15, 2005
Proverbs 11:29

Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Inheritance is the cause of many troubles in households. "Mom knew how much I always wanted the dining furniture." "You never cared about tools anyhow; I should have them." And then there is the money to quarrel over; should the home be sold? But then, it is not the inheritance that troubles a household. It is the selfish heart, the greedy heart, the spiteful heart.

James explains this well in his letter: "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel (James 4:1-2). What the troubler ends up inheriting is the wind, something he cannot hold onto. Even if he gets the money, he loses it. Even though he gets heirloom, it gives no pleasure. He ends up with nothing.

The troubler is a fool, for he foolishly places his hopes in what cannot keep its promise and in what creates trouble for himself. Thus, he ends up being a servant to the one who is wise. Note that the wise is the wise of heart. He is not merely clever, but his heart is right. There are many who are clever but wicked; but the truly wise are those whose hearts are right with God. Then they receive clarity; then they bring forth good fruit; then they are rewarded by their God who sees all things, even into their hearts.