Overthrown

For Friday, August 26, 2005
Proverbs 12:7

The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.

Good guys finish. The wicked may think that such persons finish last, but what matters is that - first, second, or last - the good guys are left standing in the end. The wicked, no matter how fast and how tough they may be, will be eventually overthrown. Someone faster and stronger will come along and bring them down. Or their wicked means of achieving success will be found out (see latest baseball scandal) and they will be disgraced. Regardless of momentary achievement, the truth is that God will overthrow the wicked. As Jude so chillingly declares, they are "wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever" (Jude 13).

Meanwhile, the house of the righteous will stand because they are built on the foundation of solid rock - the words of Christ (Matthew 7:24ff), who is himself the Rock. Do not yield to temptation to compromise your obedience to Christ in an effort to keep up with the wicked. Stay with the sure win; stay with Christ.

Deliverance

For Thursday, August 25, 2005
Proverbs 12:6

The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

The intent of the wicked is to harm. Out of anger they may try to ruin another's reputation, perhaps to coax the other to anger and sin. That is what Jesus' enemies tried to do with their questions and slander. The wicked use words to draw blood. Sometimes, though, the wicked are acting merely out of their own desire for advancement. You happen to be a competitor for promotion, to get a sale, to earn the academic award, to buy the house. The wicked will lie, cheat, to whatever to get the advantage, not concerned about the blood that is drawn from you.

How, then, do you respond? Play by the same rules so that you are on the same playing field? Use the eye-for-an-eye principle? The best course of action is to speak and act righteously; not self-righteously with arrogance, but in biblical righteousness in which you speak and act in the spirit of Christ. You are called of God to live as a citizen of his kingdom, following the standard Jesus lay forth in his teachings and lived out for us as an example. Your true words spoken in love and in integrity will time and again deliver you.

But more to the point is that God hears the prayers of the upright who cry out to him. He is your deliverer. Put your trust in him to meet your daily needs and protect you. His guarantee is that he will always do what is good for you and allows you to glorify him. The mouth of the upright delivers them for they put their confidence, not in man, but in God.

Wise Counsel

For Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Proverbs 12:5

The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

To whom do you look for counsel? Where do you go for advice? You may unwittingly be using counselors who present to you a deceitful view of life. Your counselors may be TV shows through whom you are learning about relationships. They may be movies from which you are learning to accept violence and easy sex. They may be through advertisements, secular books and magazines. All these venues are giving you counsel. Do you understand that most of such counsel is deceitful, either telling outright lies or distorting truth. Every work of fiction is doing more than telling a story; it is presenting a point of view that you may even unconsciously be taking in.

All the more reason then that you are receiving the "thoughts of the righteous." You need to be attending worship. David says in Psalm 73:16-17 that he had a distorted view of life until he "went into the sanctuary of God." Paul says in Philippians 4:8, "whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Expose yourself to good counsel, whether it be that you are seeking godly counselors or that you are exposing yourself to godly influences.

Today, whom will you listen to? Who will inform your worldview? Who will set the pace for how you look at your day and respond to the circumstances in your life? Pray to God for wise counselors.

Crown or Rottenness

For Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Proverbs 12:4

An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

An excellent wife is her husband's glory (1 Corinthians 11:7). She is the fulfillment of the original intention of being a "helper fit for him" (Genesis 2:18). She is her husband's joy, and he delights in praising her: "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all" (Proverbs 31:29). And likewise an excellent husband is the joy of his wife. He makes her secure in his protection and in his love, for, like Christ for the church, he gives himself up for her to present her to Christ in splendor.

All the reason, then, wives and husbands, to strive for excellence as wives and as husbands. You have power to be great blessing; wives have the potential to be the glory of their husbands, and husbands to be as Christ for their wives.

But the wife who brings shame is like rottenness to her husband's bones. She has the power to tear down his spirit through her shameful behavior. She is the one in whom he is delight; instead, she brings him shame. So the shameful husband for his wife. The one whom she is to look up to becomes the very one who acts disgracefully, and so it shatters her spirit.

All the more reason, wives and husbands, to strive for excellence. Your sins do not merely affect yourselves, but can devastate your partner who is one with you. Keep before you to glorify God through the way you honor and love your spouse. For Christ so glorified his Father by sacrificial love for the church.

Established in Christ

For Monday, August 22, 2005
Proverbs 12:3

No one is established by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

No one is established by wickedness because the soil of such a heart is too poor to sustain strong roots. The soil is rocky and prevent roots from burrowing deep; it is barren of nutrients that feed the roots; it is infested with weeds and thorns that choke whatever may be lasting. Thus, though the wicked may appear to be established; though they may appear to grow quickly, they will wither or be plucked. God sees them and he will pluck them easily from the harvest.

The root of the righteous, on the other hand, grow deep because of fertile clean soil. They are fed with the water of the Holy Spirit; they feed upon the nutrients of God's Word. They are tended by the Good Gardener, who protects them from blight and pests. Thus, they grow strong and fruitful.

How is your prayer life? Your study of God's Word? Your fellowship with God's people? These things are meant to nuture your spiritual roots. Now that you are planted in Christ by Christ, all the more give attention to the means he has provided for your growth in him.