God and the Poor

For Friday, December 1, 2006
Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.

The lesson of this proverb is not about how to place God in our debt and make him give us what we want. It is about caring for the poor. It shows the compassionate heart of God for the poor, what we often lack.

We want to see a return for our money. We want to be assured that the poor will spend the money wisely. We'd prefer a background check. Did this person become poor out of circumstances beyond his control or did he contribute to it by his behavior? If so, what is he doing productively to get out of his situation? Will he be asking for more money?

Generosity to the poor is more than giving money. It is taking time to treat them as people precious in God's sight. It includes treating them with dignity. To be generous means to go beyond what is convenient and to give of ourselves as we would to those close to us.

For remember, the poor represent outwardly our inward condition before God who was and is generous to us. Repay us? He already pours out his riches in Christ because he is generous to the poor.

It is true that we should give wisely and give in a way that helps. But don't let that become an excuse to be cold-hearted and to resent the poor. Be generous in deed and in spirit.

Despising Life

For Thursday, November 30, 2006
Proverbs 19:16

Whoever keeps the commandment keeps his life;
he who despises his ways will die.

Most likely the sense of despising one's ways is that of being careless about how one lives. Such a person is not so much defient against God's commands as he is uninterested in the subject. His motto is "go with the flow."

Such a person ultimately is defient, and he would be surprised to learn to whom it is he shows disdain. It is himself. He is willing to forfeit eternal happiness to go with the flow. Many persons would be surprised to find that they fit the category of such a lackadaisical person. This week I watched an interview with a 92 year old man renown for physical fitness. He exuberates enthusiasm for life and tremendous discipline to be healthy. I then read about a young entrepreneur who in his thirties has achieved weath through hard work and tenacity. But both will die, and they do not seem to be interested about keeping the commandment that will give eternal life. They are careless about their ways.

What kind of witness are you to such persons? They would have to see in you someone as committed to the gospel as they are to health and wealth. They would have to see in you someone who is exuberant about the gospel as they about their passions. Would they see in you something to envy?

Slothfulness

For Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Proverbs 19:15

Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle person will suffer hunger.

Laziness makes a person weary. Inactivity slows down the body's metabolism. Taking it easy causes even the easy to become laborious. And as activity grows more wearisome, so then one is unable to produce a living.

We see this in the workplace. There is the employee who drags into work. He then takes a long time to "settle in." He needs his coffee; he needs to chat a bit. He needs to ease into his work. He then needs to take breaks, check his email, check the news, see how others are doing. He always "has a lot to do"; if only the company would hire more people. In essence he is in a deep sleep even during his waking hours.

Then he wonders why others get promoted over him. He thinks his supervisor doesn't understand his situation. Nor, for that matter, did the supervisor in his other job, nor any of the supervisors in the jobs he bounces around in. He suffers hunger in that he cannot afford the things he wants or advance as he thinks he should. But even his hunger cannot move him to do what is necessary because it is more comfortable to rest, to sleep than to be productively active.

So it is with many spiritually. There are many who are quite active in attaining worldly success, but are in a deep sleep spiritually because, well...they just aren't "religious." They move about in their dream world, unwilling to wake up from their comfortable beds. They too suffer hunger, but their idleness keeps them from seeking God.

They also easily come up with excuses: Who can know the truth? Too many religions. A God of love will not condemn. I have a good heart. Religion is just too much work.

What will mark you day today? Slothfulness or productive activity?

The Blessing of Prudence

For Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Proverbs 19:14

House and wealth are inherited from fathers,
but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

If a foolish son and a quarreling wife are ruin to a man, all the more blessed it is to have a prudent wife. Why prudent? Why not loving? A prudent wife is a loving wife, for she takes care of her husband and home. The epitome of such prudence is found in Proverbs 31:10-31. A prudent wife is one who exercises wisdom and discretion in practical matters. Her home is kept in order. She takes care of the children. She strives to be a helpmeet to her husband. Truly a man with such a wife is blessed by the Lord.

Likewise, men are to be prudent, as the first part of the proverb demonstrates. The man receives a house and wealth as an inheritance from his father who exercised prudence in providing for his family. The father heeded the proverbs which taught to be industrious, to use discretion with money, to slowly build up wealth and not to spend it foolishly. Truly a wife and children with such a husband and father are blessed by the Lord.

Bringing Ruin

For Monday, November 27, 2006
Proverbs 19:13

A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife's quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.

The way to break the spirit of a man is through his family. It may be through the folly of a child or through the grumbling of a wife. There is much to be said in Proverbs and Scripture to admonish the husband and father, but this proverb is directed to the impact of poor behavior on the man.

The foolish son is ruin to his father in two ways. One, his folly often leads to financial repercussions, as well as impacting the father's reputation in the community. Thus a son can literally bring his father to ruin. But then there is the inner ruin of spirit. The son's folly drives grief into the father's spirit. Whatever else may be fulfilling in the father's life, the grief over his son stays with him.

Regarding the wife, however much she may have cause to quarrel about her husband's behavior and attitude, the affect of the quarrel is to drain him of desire to change. Like the incessant dripping of rain, the quarrels steadily wear him down.

We all have more power than we realize. Though the father and husband supposedly have the power to exercise authority, nevertheless, they can be brought down through those who are closest to them. So we may impact anyone through our folly and grumbling. We can bring down the best of leaders and destroy the morale of the best teachers. We can ruin those who love us, who is some way care for us. We can ruin them by breaking their spirits.

Today, will you lift up the spirits of those you love and those around you, or will you pull them down?